The Call
by MoonlitRendezvous
Summary: AU. Many failed relationships have not only broken Bella's heart, but change her life forever. Now a banshee, trying her best to live a normal life, she suddenly finds that certain native men can't keep their hands off of her. This is a poly. relationship fic. Bella/Seth/Embry/Jacob/Quil, maybe Collin later.
1. Chapter 1

The Call

Chapter One

September 2007

I looked into Edward's golden eyes, which seemed to glow with the sheer intensity of his words. "Bella," he'd said, his once velvety voice now as hard and cold as his vampiric flesh, "I don't want you to come…" I don't honestly remember what else was said after that. My world swayed and tilted as it fall apart around me, my heart squeeze and lurched painfully in my chest. I remember wondering if I were dying, if death really was this painful all the time – as this surely hurt worse even than James's venom coursing through my veins. When I'd finally come back to myself, Edward had gone. Nothing could have made his point that he no longer cared for me – about me – any clearer than leaving me alone in the woods. I would have died there, as I had simply given up on everything, had it not been for a Quileute scout, Sam Uley, who'd found me and carried me back to the house. Days, weeks, months… they all blurred around me as I forced myself to carry on something of a life for my father's sake. Then something happened, I started hanging around Jacob Black, and bit by bit he brought me to life again.

* * *

March 2008

Mono, Billy had said, making it sound for all the world as if Jacob were too sick to get out of bed or even pick up the phone when I called. The squeezing, lurching feeling returned within my chest, and I cried out in my sleep. Charlie was beginning to look pale with grief and worry again, and I… I'd had enough. One day after school, I drove down to the reservation, to Jake's house and refused to leave until I saw him. My stomach flipped when I did, his lips set in a firm frown and his eyes uncaring and cold. I'd seen this expression once before – on Edward in the woods before he left – and everything with in me was begging me to leave before he could say he didn't want me either. I didn't listen; instead I march up to him, demanding answers. "Go away," he'd said. "We can't be friends anymore…" I tried to get him to talk to me, forgive me, anything. I could feel my heart breaking again, a shrill crying sound pounding in my ears that I fought off as best I could. "None of this even matters," he told me, "this is over…"

It was with jerky movements that I got back in my truck and started home. The rain had picked up by this point, so I drove slowly to avoid hitting anything, and ended up pulling over to offer a ride home to a passerby. That passerby turned out to be Quil Ateara, who appeared to be just as forlorn as I was about Jake's sudden turn about concerning Sam Uley. Instead of taking him to his house, I brought him to mine. I offered him the shower and found an old pair of sweats that Charlie had worn a few years after mom left him (back when he'd decided the only thing better than a slice of chocolate cake was two or three whole cakes). I knew they'd be short – more like capris on Quil – but they would be wide enough around his waist. I also found a house coat Charlie never wore at all, and figured those would do until Quil's clothes were done washing. As asked, he threw his soaked clothing out the bathroom door before hopping into the shower, and I immediately took them down and started the washer. Next I heated up some milk in a pan, and got busy making hot chocolate from scratch, only pausing to throw Quil's cloths into the dryer.

"Marshmallows," I asked him when he'd finally made his way to the kitchen. He nodded his head, and slowly sat down. "Jake dump you too," he asked dejectedly. I nodded as I took a sip from my mug. "Man, I just don't get it," he said, cursing under his breath before telling me exactly how he felt – how he'd been feeling since Embry quit being his friend. The strangest part for me, was that I'd felt the same way. First Edward left, ripping my heart to shreds. Jacob takes the time to fix me – to patch me up – and why? Simply to rip me into smaller pieces himself? It didn't sound like my Jacob, but – I realized – he hadn't looked like my Jacob either.

"Fuck'em."

I snapped my eyes up, shocked at what I'd heard. I was about to ask Quil what he meant, but figured by the shocked expression on his face, I'd been the one to say it. "Fuck'em," I said again, stronger this time. "If they don't want us, then we don't need them. How about it, Ateara," I smiled at him, "you and me against the world?"

He laughed. "That would be a sight!" His dark eyes were still hesitant for a moment, but that slowly changed to a look of resolve. "Alright, you're on, Swan. So, what should we do first?"

"What shouldn't we do," I challenged, loving this new, defiant side of me.

"Steal your dad's beer and watch 'R' rated movies?"

"'R'," I teased, "really? No 'hey, Swan, your dad got porn?' No, attempt to get me out of my clothes, like recommending we go streaking or skinning dipping? You sick or something?"

"It's pouring outside," he pointed out. "And no offense but just the knowledge that your dad had watch a porno would make it impossible to get hard – hot chick or not. However, if you're up for the horizontal tango –"

I held up a hand to stop him. "I'm not drunk enough for this conversation," I smiled good naturedly, turning to the fridge and grabbing both of us a beer. "I'll order a pizza, you find something to watch, deal?" And that was the beginning of our short lived friendship…

* * *

May 2008

"It's not that I don't care about you," he started, following me from the beach to where I'd parked my truck, "I do. You know I do."

"You just don't want anything to do with me anymore," I countered, my eyes narrowing. "Is this because we had sex?"

Quil's eyes widened as he whipped his head around quickly. "What, no! Damn girl, don't say shit like that!" He made an attempt to come closer to me, and I snarled at him like a wild, injured animal. It was then that I saw the pain in his eyes he was attempting to hide from me – or maybe it was pity.

"You said you loved me," I spat at him. "You asked me to marry you!"

"And you turned me down," he yelled right back.

"Because I don't believe in marriage, not because I don't want you. I told you that," I cried out exasperated.

"You know what," he countered, all the warmth I loved about him gone from his features. Once again I was looking at the cold, hard eyes of someone who wanted me gone from their life. "You're right, Bella. I don't want you. Fuck, I don't know why anyone ever would. You're so pathetic!"

Even as he said those things, my mind reminded me of every time he'd told me I was amazing, that I was beautiful, that he loved me. 'This is not my Quil,' I told myself. No, just like with Jacob, Sam Uley had taken the man I loved and twisted him into someone who couldn't stand me. "Screw you, Ateara."

"You already did, cupcake."

I got in my truck then, another part of my heart breaking off – just like with Edward and Jacob. I called Renee when I got home and asked her to fill out application forms for me at the local junior college in Jacksonville, I'd be there soon. On the last birthday the Cullens had been with me, they'd gotten me plane tickets to see my mom. I'd noticed a few months ago that they were about to expire, and had called the airport in Seattle and merged two round trip tickets into one one-way ticket, which they'd mailed out to me. Of course, at that time I hadn't thought I'd use it – since I was so happy with Quil…

I'd packed silently until Charlie got home. I told him I didn't know when I'd come back this time, that I loved him but this place held so much heartache for me. "If I was stronger, I guess it wouldn't bother me so much," I'd whispered as he drove me to the airport.

"Don't think like that, Bells," he sighed. "You love with your whole heart, there's no shame in that. I'll come visit when I can, okay, kid?"

I'd nodded, not knowing when that would be.

* * *

December 2011

Married. I was actually planning to say 'I do' to this guy! I screamed, I yelled, I cried, until I felt nothing at all. Two nights before the wedding, and I find out my best friend (my maid of honor for crepes-sake) and my husband-to-be had been hooking up for months – months! The source had not been without suspicion, as it had been Haylie, my former best friend's sister, Alisha, who'd told me.

"Don't believe me," she'd shrugged. "I know Evan (the douche I'd been about to marry), I dated him before you, remember?" And she had, for years in fact. I'd tried to ignore her words, but two days before the wedding, I went to his house unannounced and found them in the kitchen in a position that made me nauseous that I'd ever fixed food there. In a fit of rage, I'd taken the honeymoon tickets and flew off to Maine by myself. I thought about myself, my absolute failure in relationships, and felt something inside me snap. That shrill voice I'd heard when Jacob had left was sounding again within my mind so loudly that I screamed with it. The world spun around me, my heart felt like it was freezing, and soon I grew faint. When I woke the next morning, one look in the mirror told me nothing would ever be the same again.


	2. Chapter 2

The Call

Chapter Two

One year later

December 2012 (present day)

"Are you sure about this," Alisha asked me for the millionth time, biting her bottom lip nervously. I smiled, remembering what a good friend she'd been to me since the whole wedding fiasco. She'd even been the only one (though I'd later learned a lot of people had known) to tell me Evan Masters was a best-friend-humping-weasel. Ok, so I kind of hated her for that at the time, but later I'd actually begun to turn thankful. I mean, just think what could have happened if I'd married him! "I know your dad needs you and all, but-"

"No buts," I cut her off, tucking a strand of my waist-length white hair behind one ear, "he's family, Ally. I'm running kind of low on members last I counted," I teased her. She pulled me into a hug, whispering that I'd always have her, and I thought 'yes, you are the sister I always wanted'. I never voiced this thought though, she knew it well enough.

"And you're sure you don't want me to come with?"

I sighed, both irritated and thankful for her concern. I'd told her about my Forks heartaches, and given recent developments I knew she was worried. "I don't think I'll kill anyone," I smiled, though she didn't seem convinced.

"You're a banshee," she sighed out, looking around to make sure no one was eavesdropping (it was a force of habit, even though we were currently alone in her hotel room), "can you even control that? I mean, I know you can fight it – and you've been doing great, really – but don't you have to kill someone some of the time to live?"

I closed my eyes, telling her the same thing I tell myself every morning. "Some people are destined to die, I can't change that. To others, death is a blessing - one I wished years ago I'd received. Others are strong; they will live through the pain. Bottom line, I don't kill people. People kill people; I just take away the pain." She opened her mouth only to close it again. "Stay here in Seattle," I smiled. "As my manager, you need to work on my career. See if you can get me some recording time. And if the label insisted on one more single from the old album, see if we can't film the video on one of the reservation beaches."

"Reservation," she gasped out. "You're not going near La Push are you?"

For the last part of our conversation, I'd been helping Alisha unpack her bags to settle into her hotel room. At the sound of her horrified voice, I placed the shirts in my hands into her draw and turned back around to face her. "Dad's living there now."

"Since when?"

"Since he remarried last spring." A soft 'oh, Bella' left her as she sat down on the queen sized mattress. "It's fine, Sue makes him happy. He deserves to be happy."

"Of course he does," Ally agreed quickly. "I just wish his happiness wasn't at the same place as your pain."

"Past pain," I countered. "I'm stronger now, remember? I've moved on."

"Three guys ripped your heart out in under six months," she scoffed. "I don't care if your super girl, ain't nobody get over that shit. Damn girl, I'd have gone psycho and hurt someone by now."

"Instead I just sing about it and get filthy rich," I chuckled, shaking my head and went back to putting away the last of her garments. She laughed softly with me, sighing out a deep breath as she stood up. "Ok, so new plan. I will stay here, be a good hard working manager while you run off to your own personal hell and help your dad. Just remember, B, I'm only a phone call away." I hugged her then, which surprised us both as I'm not really the touchy-feely type. "Hey," Alisha called after me when I turned to leave, her hazel eyes glittering with hesitance again, "has your dad seen you since…"

'Since the change.' I knew what she meant and frowned as I shook my head.

"Are you sure he'll recognize you?"

I laughed, a nervous, hallow sound. "No, but he's my dad, Ally. He asked for my help, which isn't easy for a man like him, and I'm going – whether he recognizes me or not."

She nodded, one hand pushing her ebony locks from her face. "Does he know what you do? I mean your career, your fame?" Of course my career. Not the fact I had turned into a mythological creature that may or may not suck out someone's soul at any given moment. "No," I whispered, casting my dark eyes away from her. "I don't want him to know unless he has to. As far as he knows I'm Bella Swan, klutz queen, not Isabella international singing sensation. I'd like at least one thing in my life to be normal, Ally," I almost pleaded with her.

"Nothing in your life is normal," she said with a huff. "But fine, he won't hear anything from me. What are you going to say if you do end up having to film a video shoot at the reservation?"

"The truth," I swallowed thickly. "I won't have a choice. I refuse to lie to him more than I have to." After a few more minutes of chit chat, I left to hop in my blue Camry, and head out of Seattle and towards La Push. "Hey, dad," I said into my blue tooth head piece hours later, "I'm about ten minutes from the rez. How exactly do I find your house?"

"Bells," he greeted happily. "Oh, you can't miss Sue's place. Just stay on the main road until you get to the fork, take the left road. It's right past the Ateara's." My heart stuttered for a moment, my mind calling up his imagine against my will. _Quil_. "Ok," I replied, trying to make my voice sound stronger than I felt, "I'll be there soon." After I hung up, I spent the rest of my short trip in silence, preparing myself should I see Quil or Jacob again – which, let's face it, was a good possibility. With a deep breath I parked my car, grabbed my two suitcases, and made my way up the medium-sized yellow house in front of me. "Dad," I called into the screen door, which glass was down to allow the warm, fresh air inside.

"Come on in, Bella," he answered, and I entered, leaving my luggage by the door. "Hey," I greeted him, leaning down to where he was seated in a recliner and hugged him, "it's been forever!"

"Tell about it," he laughed, then pulled back looking shocked. "Um, Bells, are you trying some punk thing with your hair?"

I forced a smile, knowing this was the first of many lies I'd have to tell. After all, it's not like I could tell him the truth about why my hair was snow white at twenty-three years of age. "I just wanted something different, you know, after Evan and all…" I looked away uncomfortably for a different reason than Charlie was.

"Yes, well," he cleared his throat, "it looks nice. Different, but nice." There was a few minutes – or twenty – of silence (or more like, Charlie watching the game and waiting for a commercial break to pick our reunion back up). "So, Sue's at work. She's an RN at the rez clinic. She has two kids, Leah – who's a few years older than you, and just recently moved into her own place a few months back – and Seth – he's a senior this year. He's room will be across from yours while you stay here. "

"And you're sure this isn't an inconvenience to you or Sue, or Seth even. I can afford a hotel or an apartment, you know." Somewhere off the reservation, away from …_them_.

"Nonsense," he waved me off. "Sue will be glad to get to know you, Seth isn't around a lot, and honestly… I've missed you, kid."

"Missed you too, dad," I grinned, noticing the commercial break was almost over. "Guess I'll move my luggage to my room before I start dinner then. How many should I cook for?"

"Five, but Seth eats like a horse," he joked, "so maybe cook for ten."

I shook my head but decided I'd actually cook for ten tonight at least. On the rez, you never knew when someone would invite themselves to dinner. I figured the worst case scenario; Charlie and I would have left overs for lunch tomorrow. So, I took my bags upstairs, placed them in the more feminine of the two rooms (though the first one smelled _amazing_), and came down to check the kitchen for ingredients. With a sigh, I quickly realized I'd have to go to the market before making anything. "Hey, dad, I'm going to run to Ateara's Market real quick, anything special you want me to fix?"

"Grandma Swan's meatloaf," he practically begged – puppy dog pout and all. I frowned, went back to the kitchen to discover Sue did own one of those meatloaf pans that drained the grease drippings from the meat. "Alright," I agreed, "but yours is going to be made with turkey burger, and I'm mashing cauliflower up with the potatoes. You just had a heart attack a month ago, dad."

"I know, Bells," he said sheepishly. "That's why Sue wanted you to come. She knew you'd put me in my place if I tried anything."

"Is it my fault you choose to surround yourself with women that love you so much," I asked with mock irritation causing him to laugh as I walked out. I was slightly nervous about running into Quil at the market, but brushed it off. It was too late to make it to Forks before dinner time, and most likely Quil wouldn't recognize me even if he saw me. As it turned out, he wasn't even there at all. I smiled softly, feeling my body finally begin to relax as I temporarily lost myself in the aisles of food and my grocery list. This is, until I heard it – the unmistakable sound of a soul in pain. It beckoned to me like a siren to a sailor, and I seemed to have no choice but to follow it to its source. I was relieved to notice it was a soft sound, one that pointed towards a strong spirit – a spirit that would heal. I closed my eyes, thankful I wasn't being called to kill anyone. But why, I wondered, was I being lead? When my feet finally stopped, I opened my eyes to see a buff looking native man, and a thin native woman kissing in the middle of the frozen foods section. I looked around confused, as clearly neither of them when in heart-wrenching pain. My eyes landed on another buff native man gazing at the couple with pain in his eyes. I frowned wondering why the woman would have left or over looked his man for the other. Sure, they were both mountains of muscle and attractive, but this one had a softness, a gentleness to him the other lacked entirely. Quickly I looked over my list to make sure I had everything before pushing my cart towards the heartbroken fool.

"You know," I whisper softly as I pretended to browse the freezers to his left, "she keeps looking over here to check out your reactions."

"Does she?"

I nodded. "So, the question becomes do you want to stand here looking pathetic with your heart in your hands, or do you give her something to talk about?"

"Like what," he grinned, and I noticed just how white his teeth looked against his tan flesh. "That depends," I countered, "is she looking?" His dark eyes glanced towards the couple quickly and he nodded. I smirked, my hands quickly reaching out to grab his neck, pulling his face downwards as I stood on my tiptoes and claimed his lips. He groaned, relaxing into it instantly, his hot tongue pushing into my mouth to caress against my own. One of my hands drifted upwards into his short, black hair, my nails scratching across his scalp lightly. His own large hands wrapped around me, pulling me impossible close to him, even as he seemed hesitant to actually grope any part of me. When we finally pulled away from each other, I could have sworn his eye flashed a golden yellow before his closed them and then leaned his head against me, his nose running up and down my neck softly.

"I don't usually do this," I told him as I gasped for breath.

"Yeah? Want to do it again," he asked cheekily.

I laughed and shook my head. "Some other time," I quipped playfully. "I actually have to be somewhere now."

He licked his lips, pulled away from me and opened his nearly black eyes. "I'm going to hold you to that. So, can I get your name at least? You know," he grinned, "incase I have to track you down."

"Yours first," I teased. He looked at me then, really looked at me, as if he were committing me to memory or something. "I'm Seth," he finally replied, and I couldn't help but fight back a laugh at my luck. "Clearwater," I checked. His expression turned confused as he questioned whether we'd met before. I shook my head again. "Let's just say I don't think you'll have to look too far in the event that you do need to track me down," I grinned, before turning and pushing my cart towards the front of the store to pay for my items.


	3. Chapter 3

The Call

Chapter Three

I'll never forget Seth's face that night when he came home for dinner (late) and saw me talking to his mom, laughing. His expression turned from pleasantly surprised, to shocked when Charlie told him who I was. Of course in my defense (as weak as it is), he sure as hell didn't look like an eighteen year old. To be honest, I thought he was twenty-five at the youngest. I told myself that it didn't matter. I'd kissed my step-brother and nothing could change that (and I doubted I would even if I could). Case closed, move on. If only my new little brother could see things that way.

Instead, he watched me closely all night, seemingly intrigued by anything and everything I had to say. I ate sparingly, nervous under his intense gaze – even though he did eat like a horse (good call, dad). I idly wondered what all he did to stay in shape, eating like he did. Before I knew it, I was urging Sue to enjoy herself while I cleaned up our after dinner mess. Seth had excused himself nearly twenty minutes prior, and I was looking forward to the quiet of being alone with my own thoughts for a while. Nearly a half hour later, I was just finishing putting the last few plates in the corner cabinet, when I felt large, hot hands on my waist. "I give up," Seth whispered in my ear.

"What?" I tried to turn around to face him, but he pressed his hips against my backside and held me in place. He inhaled audibly, cursing under his breath and thrust lightly into me once. "Why do you smell so damn good? I can't get you out of my mind," he muttered, nuzzling into my neck. "You make me feel like I'm on fire, Bella. Like I could actually burn to nothing if I don't have you. What have you done to me?"

"I don't know," I squeaked out in surprised, finally finding just barely enough space to turn around. His eyes were jet black and hungry as he looked at me. "I've never had this reaction from a guy before."

"I find that hard to believe," he murmured, his lips crushing against my own demandingly. Unlike the market, this time his hands were anything but hesitant. They moved about my body as if they were claiming it, squeezing and groping everything they touched. The fact that we were in his mother's kitchen flickered dimly within my mind, and I shakily pushed against him. "Not here," I whispered, my voice sounding breathless and wanton even to my ears, "someone might see."

"Don't care," he growled, reaching out for me.

"But I do."

Seth pulled back a bit farther at my words, shaking his head as if to clear it. "I should too," he said, a confused glint entering his eyes. "I should care that I'm about to screw my stepsister's brains out in my mom's kitchen, but I don't. Why don't I..?" Closing his eyes, he took in a deep breath only to moan out loud, muttering a soft, "not helping, babe." He turned in jerky, nearly robotic movements and walked away. "If mom askes, tell her I'm staying at Call's tonight."

Call. Embry Call, the first of Jacob's friends that had joined Sam Uley's little gang all those years ago. I hadn't really known him as well as I had Jake and Quil, but from what time we had spent around each other I had gathered he was a bit like me – shy, well read, deeply caring towards the right people. I blinked a few times, forcing myself out of my mind and called Alisha. "I don't know," I hissed into the phone, "it's not like I've even look at a guy twice, let alone kissed one since Maine." ('Since Maine' was a nice way of saying, since I turned into a soul sucking monster.)

"And it's not like I don't understand, what with Evan the weasel," she sighed out sympathetically, "but now your hunky step bro apparently wants to bond with you. Why exactly did you lip lock a stranger in the market again? You know your only luck is bad luck, you should have guessed he'd be related or gay or something."

"Yeah, yeah," I grumbled into my cell phone, "just call me Murphy's Law. Besides, I knew he wasn't gay."

"Because he was so dreamy," she teased.

"No, because I… I heard him, Ally." She cursed softly and I swallowed. "His heartache led me to him, I could tell he was strong by how soft his words were to me, but he was in pain and – it was like I had no choice, I had to go to him."

"And tongue him."

"Ally," I giggled. "Okay, so the kiss was uncalled for, but I don't regret it. I just wish I knew why I affected him like that."

"Who knows, B. Maybe it was like a hormone or pheromone or something and it will have worn off by tomorrow."

"I'm not sure if that's good news or not," I replied honestly. "How's work?"

"You're scheduled for booth time next month at a studio here in Seattle. You were right about the label, they do want one more single off the old album. Rochester went over our heads and released the single to the stations already and scheduled you on the Good Morning Seattle next week as the entertainment portion."

"He what," I seethed. If there was one thing I hated, it was someone trying to control my life for me. "Asshole." I ground my teeth together and thought quickly. "Okay, I've got some new stuff ready to record, so next month is good. The single's out, schedule the video shoot. Which one is it anyway?"

"Track eight." I could hear the grin in her voice. I shook my head, Rochester always did like the dancier tones over the soul-wrenching ballads, claimed they were more market worthy. "What's done is done," I repeated to myself. "I need a green screen booked and a night club for this song… Maybe an elevator."

"Oh, naughty," she gasped out before singing (badly) to an Aerosmith song. "_Love in an elevator_…"

"Nasty," I giggled out. "You know, Ally, you're the only person I know that thinks of sex when someone mentions… Well, anything really. Why aren't you getting laid?"

"Because I'm being a good manager," she taunted.

"Well, be a great one. Get laid so you can quit thinking about sex and focus on your job," I teased, slightly. "I'll see you in a week for the TV thing," I sighed. "Looks like I will have to tell my dad about my job after all." I hung up, took a quick shower and all but passed out as soon as I fell into bed. The next morning I rose before the sun, as was my new normal since my change, and I threw on some black yoga pants and sports bra, white ankle socks, and a pair of old Reeboks. Quietly I made my way downstairs and out of the house for a quick run down to the beach and back. Of course the pushups, sit ups, and pull ups I did once I got back to Sue's weren't so quick or relaxing. I'd just let go of the tree branch I'd been using for pull ups when Sue came out the door in a rush. "Oh, Bella," she called to me, "have you seen Seth? Did he go to school already? He left his backpack. Could you take it to him? I would but I'm already late."

"Sure," I called back, wavering good-bye as her car sped down the driveway. I hurried inside, to see Charlie already showered and seated in his recliner eating an egg white and mushroom omelet as I run to Seth's room. Damn if it didn't smell better than it had the night before. Grabbing his backpack, I wondered if he had a change of clothes with him. I mean, did he stay at Embry's a lot? Sighing, I pulled out a pair of cutoff jeans, a black tank top, a pair of socks and some boxers, stuffed them in his backpack and went on my second jog for the day. Quil had once told me were Embry lived, since they were close by each other, and I just hoped he hadn't moved out. I stopped on the Call's porch and breathed deeply to steady my heart before I knocked. The door opened almost immediately to another buff looking man with kind, but confused eyes. Those eyes were the only reason I recognized him. "Embry."

"Yes," he asked cautiously.

"I'm sorry, you probably don't remember me. It's Bella."

"Swan," he replied, shocked. "Fuck, when he said you looked… I didn't think…"

"Yeah," I said nervously, "I've changed a bit. Look, Sue asked me to bring this to Seth," I continued, handing him the backpack. "I packed some school clothes in there, just in case."

"He's in the shower," Embry replied. "I'm sure he'll appreciate this, Bells, really."

"Yeah, nice seeing you again," I smiled, stiffening when he inhaled, his eyes darkening and clouding with hunger the way Seth's had the other night. "Maybe I'll see you around sometime." He sniffed the air again, seeming as if he were basking in the scent of something. "Well, I've got to get back to Charlie now." With that I backed away slowly, some unknown instinct telling me if I ran that he would pounce. Which was nuts, I mean, this was Embry not some wild animal, right? Still I jogged slowly until I was well out of his sight.

That day at lunch, I told dad and Sue (who'd come home on her lunch break) about my career and about the label president Lucas Rochester, and what he'd done. "Honestly, I have one album left on my contract, and then I seriously might quit. I'm not the high maintenance kind, you know me, dad. And I have enough money to build an easy, simple life for myself now. I don't know, settle down, having kids someday." I saw Charlie smile at Sue and knew he was happy for me.

"You know there is an old rundown store at the end of the reservation shopping center, hasn't been used in years. Of course only tribe members are supposed to be able to own and run stores on the reservation, but your family now, I'm sure we could work around if. That is, if you're interested?"

"Well," I thought, biting my bottom lip, "I have always wanted to start my own beauty line."

"Like makeup," dad asked.

"You know I never wore much of that stuff," I smiled. "No, more like bath and body works, only everything would be all natural and hypoallergenic."

"That actually sounds promising," Sue spoke excitedly. "If you're interested, I'd talk to the council for you." With that she hurried off back to work for the day. "She's something special," I told Charlie, who smiled with pride.

"Isn't she just."

The day went along slowly after that. I'd actually just gotten Charlie settled down after our (way too short) walk down the road and back when there was a persistent knock on the front door. I went to answer it, only to find Jacob Black on the other side of the door. "Bells," he gasped out. "Damn you do look different."

"Yeah," I forced a smile, "the hair throws everyone at first."

"It's more than that," he pushed. "It's… I don't know. It's like something inside you is different."

"Change happens to us all, Jacob," I replied, watching him flinch when I said his name. "Is there a point to your visit?"

"Embry said you were back." He stepped towards me, slowly, as if he were afraid I'd run. "He said…" Jacob inhaled deeply then, and groaned. "Fuck if you don't smell delicious," his husky voice sent shivers down my spine, even as his eyes darkened and his nostrils flared. He stepped closer until I was pinned between his body and the front door. Just like Seth, he leaned his head down and ran his nose up and down my neck. He moaned again, his tongue flicking out and licked from the base of my neck up to my ear, where he pulled my lobe into his mouth and sucked it.

"Jake," I sighed out, my knees growing weak.

"That's right," his hard voice growled as he released my lobe, "get wet for me. I can _smell_ you, Bella." His words had fire running through my veins and made my lady bits clench. This wasn't right, I told myself, I'm mad at him. I don't want to fuck him, I don't want anything to do with him. With great difficulty, I pulled my face back from his and glared. "Who the hell do you think you are, Jacob Black? You think you can treat me like you did, then show up years later and sex me up on the front porch with my dad right inside?" My words seemed to have penetrated his lust addled brain, as he stepped back.

"You're right," he admitted reluctantly, "this isn't how it was supposed to go. I… It's good seeing you, Bells. I'm glad you're home." He walked off, slowly, looking back at me from time to time until I finally stepped back inside and began working on dinner.


	4. Chapter 4

The Call

Chapter Four

Seth had fallen into a routine of sorts in the week I'd been there. He'd be gone at either school or a friend's house all day, come home just in time for dinner, then lock himself in his room or leave again. It was obvious he was trying to avoid me, yet when we ate, his dark gaze hardly ever left me. Tonight, however, I was leaving for Seattle. Tomorrow I would be appearing on the morning show, and I didn't want to look run down by waiting to drive there until early in the morning. Instead, I headed out shortly after Seth had excused himself from dinner, and drove as quickly as I could to Alisha's hotel (where I'd be spending the rest of my night). "Don't get too comfortable," she teased as I flopped onto the couch and covered up, "tomorrow you're sleeping in your own room, Madam Blanc."

"Mrs. White," I scoffed. "Is that the best you could do, or were you playing Clue online again?"

Alisha laughed happily, clearly glad I was back – at least for a few days. "A bit of both." I rolled my eyes, a smile tugging at my lips, before burying my head firmly in my pillow. "Remind me next time not to let you pick out the alias," I muttered as I closed my eyes and waited for sleep to claim me.

The next day was hectic, and crazy, and literally the reason I hated doing what I did. No matter how early you got up, you were always late – a lesson I learned from day one. This Monday morning was no exception. I arrived at the studio fifteen minutes early just to try on countless outfits, only for Lucas Rochester to come in at the last second and veto anything I'd placed in the maybe pile. "Wear this," he snapped, his pudgy hands throwing a garment bag at me. "You've just been signed as a clothing labels spokesperson, and this is your first of ten appearances in their apparel."

"Since when," I nearly growled. "You know I don't do promotions for anything other than my products or things I actually like. This," I continued, opening the bag, "is translucent with rhinestones."

"It's eye-catching," he countered with a sneer.

"It's inappropriate for a family morning show," I all but screeched. "For fuck's sake, I've seen strippers with better taste!"

"You're wearing it, or you'll face the full legal repercussions," he snarled before marching off. I wanted to kill him at the moment, I know I did. I felt as if my very veins were freezing and my body was simply falling away from me. "Issy," Alisha cried out, her hand smacking me acrossed the face. I blinked a few times, returning to myself and wondering where she'd come from, while she sighed in relief. "I've been calling your name for almost ten minutes. Why aren't you dressed?"

"Rochester signed me to a clothing line," I replied. "Apparently I have to wear that," I nodded towards the see-through garment as it sparkled on the floor, "or go to court."

"You have to wear_ that_," she double checked, unable to hide her distaste, "or something from their line?"

"What's the difference?"

"Leave it to me," she replied, throwing a white robe at me to cover my undergarments. "You need to go to hair and makeup, now. By the time you get back I'll have something suitable, don't worry." For the second time since we'd arrived in Seattle, I hugged her. "Thank you," I gushed.

"That's what managers are for," she said, pushing me towards the door, "solving one crisis at a time."

Hair and makeup was a flurry of movements. I made my wishes known, that I wanted my hair down and curled and my makeup subtle and understated. Then I closed my eyes and did my best to block them all out. 'I'm on a deserted island,' I told myself. 'I'm surrounded by water, and peace, and…Seth?' My eyes snapped open, my head moving slightly to the left as the people around me declared me finished. Still, I gazed into the background, so certain that I'd felt his presence here – but how? Why would I? He was in La Push, right? No, it turned out. The second time I looked around, I saw him just entering the room, security personnel trailing after him.

"You can't be back here, sir," a fit man in his early thirties was saying firmly. "This is private –"

"It's alright," I defended him, Seth's whole body turned to face me, "he's family." The security guard looked unconvinced, and I bit my lip as Seth breathed deeply. "He's my step brother from my father's second marriage. He's ok."

"He needs a pass," he scolded, still looking at Seth oddly.

"Yes, well, I didn't think he'd be coming honestly," I smiled sweetly. "Could you be a dear and get him one?" He looked like he was going to refuse, but Seth glared, and he scurried off, nearly tripping on his own feet. "What are you doing here," I asked softly, curiously.

"You left."

"I had an appearance," I countered, walking back to my dressing room with Seth right behind me. "Mom told me," he admitted, "but you were too far away. I couldn't feel you anymore, and –"

"Wait," I stopped him, ushered him into the dressing room and closed the door behind us, "you couldn't what anymore?"

"It's not important," he waved me off.

"It is," I insisted, slipping the robe off and picked up the outfit Alisha had worked out for me. It wasn't my usually style (especially for winter in Washington), but it would work for an inside performance, and it was way better than Rochester's choice. I quickly checked the clothing labels and they were all from the same company, meeting the legal obligation the company owner had put upon me. "Before you got here, I could have sworn I –"

"You, what, Bella?" His eyes were nervous and desperate at the same time as I gazed at his reflection in the mirror. I didn't answer immediately. Instead I chose to stall by getting dressed, slipping on the loose white knee shirt, and yellow tank top and slipped the translucent rhinestone top Rochester had given me over that. I looked over my shoe options and settled on the yellow cowboy boots. Distraction over, I had no choice but to answer Seth. I sighed hesitantly, not sure if this was a banshee thing or something else, but he just seemed like he_ needed_ to hear it so badly I ached for him. "Before you entered the room," I started, "maybe by a minute or two, I thought I_ felt_ you there." A soft 'Bella' fell from his lips, followed quickly by a 'Thank, God,' and I swallowed nervously. "It was strong enough, Seth, that I was looking for you before you actually entered the room." Again he sighed out my name, his shoulders drooping as relief visibly coursed through him. "You know what this is," I accused, my eyes narrowing. "Tell me."

"I don't know exactly what it is," he started.

"But you do know _something_, don't you?" He nodded hesitantly, opening his mouth to speak when a knock sounded at my door. "Five minutes, Isabella," the floor coordinator called out before walking away. I cursed under my breath. "Look, I have to get out there for a mic check before we go live. Wait for me here?" Seth smiled, which must have been contagious, as I found myself truly smiling back at him. "I'll take you to lunch, get you some clothes, and then we'll get settle in our hotel room."

"Our room," he questioned, a mischievous glint entering his eyes.

"I'm stay in the city for three or four days, unless Sue wants to drive all the way up here to get you, you're stuck with me. Speaking of your mom, my cell is in my purse," I told him firmly. "Call her, or at least Charlie. Let them know you're safe." I waited for him to agree, then rushed out of the room to the small stage they had set up for me. The floor coordinator went over my song list and did final mic and instrument checks. Before I knew it, not only had the show started, but I was being called on stage. The cheer of the crowd undid all the bad things that had happened that morning, and I greeted my fans sincerely. "My fans everywhere are incredible," I told them, "but it's wonderful to be back home in Washington." Throughout the program I ended up singing six songs off and on (normally as they were going to commercial breaks until they came back from them. Then as the show was ending, I was asked to sing my current release as the day's sign off song. It _was_ as dance song and I was getting tired of the stage, so in a split second decision, I hopped down and started singing amongst the audience (I even twirled a few times with a couple of them). Of course that was quickly followed by signing autographs, which took maybe another hour, before I could finally get back to Seth.

He was still on the phone when I entered, so I went about removing my makeup, and redressing in my own clothes. I was so use to doing this in front of Alisha, I honestly didn't give it a seconded thought until I glanced at his reflection in the mirror. "Bye, mom," he said sharply, hanging up and all but stalking over to me. "Do you like torturing me, Bella," his voice growled out, deep and husky.

"I don't know-"

"You're parading around here practically naked, when you know how much I want you." His words seemed to surround me, cocooning me in a haze of desire. His lips trailed up my neck, his hands encircled my waist and moved upwards towards my breasts. He was about to groped them through my shirt, when he suddenly jerked away from me.

"Lunch time," Alisha called as she floated into the room. "The limo is waiting for us downstairs to take us back to my hotel. Your things are currently in your new room, but your car is still at my hotel."

"Great," I smiled, so glad I didn't blush as much since my change as I once had. "Alisha, this is my step brother, Seth. Seth, this is-"

"Alisha Banks," she said with a nodded. "Bella is free for the rest of the day. Don't forget your 7:30 at the warehouse tomorrow."

"'Couse not," I scoffed. "Seth will be joining us, actually."

"Oh?" I frowned towards her. She sounded way more interested than I would have liked. "In that case you might want to buy something to sleep in," she teased, turning to Seth. "Bella, here, is famous for sleeping in nothing more than her birthday suit." My poor step brother's eyes widened comically, causing Alisha to all but cackle as she walked out.

"Come on," I said, taking his hand as naturally as I once had taken Jacob's, "let's go before she leaves us here."

On the way door towards the limousine, I began to feel a bit light head, but I brushed it off the best I could. It wasn't even a minuet after the car started driving, however, that I nearly cried out as my heart squeezed painfully within my chest. "Bella," Alisha's concerned voice asked, "are you alright?"

"I'll be fine," I forced a smile and made myself lean back in my seat. "It's probably just hunger pains," I teased as best I could, "it has been awhile since I ate."

"Since you –" Alisha's eyes widened with understanding. "Oh, right. Seth," she practically purred, "how about we let the starlet rest after lunch, and I'll show you around?" He looked like he was going to protest; like the very idea of being away from me was hell. (But that's ridiculous, right?) "It's alright," I chimed in. "I usually sleep for an hour or two after a gig since I get up so early. Go out with Ally, see the town. We'll have plenty of time together over the next few days."

"If you're sure," he reluctantly agreed. I assured him I did, that Alisha was more fashion savvy than I'd ever been. At lunch, Seth ate, and ate, and… Geez, I knew teenage boys were supposed to be bottomless pits, but how could he stay so fit? I choked down a half order of chicken caesar salad, and excused myself to catch a cab to my hotel. Once checked in, I locked the door and laid on the bed, freeing my spirit of its earthly flesh. Spirit form was the easiest and safest way to hunt, since my appearance changed to whatever shape my victim wanted me to be. If they were good, death was easy and I appeared more like an angel than a person to them. If they were bad… Let's just say it wasn't pretty and to them, neither was I. There had been a few times when Alisha had called my spirit back to my body before I'd finished feeding (meaning the person was left alive), and in those instances spiritual feeding made certain they'd never recognize my living form. I could feed in my living form as well, but I tended to only do that in desperate times. Not only was it risky, what with cameras and all, there was also the ick factor of holding a corpse in your arms – regardless if I was the one who killed them or not.

Releasing a deep breath, I opened my eyes and looked down at myself lying on the bed. With the knowledge that I was free, I focused on listening to the souls around me until I heard the cry of a desperate woman. It was always a rush hearing people's thoughts and feeling their emotions, but this one had a tint of something familiar to it. I brushed it off as best I could as my body flittered through buildings and people on my way to the source of such despair. She was a pretty woman, at least in a traditional way. She had medium length auburn hair that was pulled in a tight bun that was slipping out of place as she huddled on the floor weeping, her pin-striped skirt bunching up just above her knees, her kitten-heeled shoes half on and half off her feet. Pale, barely tanned hands wiped her tears away, streaking her eyeliner until she mildly resembled a raccoon. It was then, looking into her eyes that I finally recognized her. "No," I whispered softly, even as her sorrows and pain surrounded me, "please no."


	5. Chapter 5

The Call

Chapter 5

_I can't believe this happened. I'm such a disappointment. No one loves me, not really. God, will my parents even be able to look at me? Daddy will hate me. Mom will be disgusted. But I couldn't help it! It's not like I set out for this to happen, it just did. I'm so stupid, I knew not to fall for them but I did anyway. I fell in love, and now my life is over…_

"It's not over, Angela," I spoke, my voice sounding syrupy-sweet even to my ears. Her shoulders tense at the sound, her body jerking so that she ended up falling on her bottom. "Oh my… Are you an angel? Am I going to hell," she cried out in terror.

"Do you think you deserve to," I asked, coming closer to her until I kneeled down beside her. I couldn't do it. I couldn't kill the closest thing to a friend I'd had at Forks High, but I wasn't going to leave her wallowing in agony either.

"Daddy always told me the good book said people who do what I did go there," she replied, her body starting to shake with fear.

"But do you think you deserve to go there, Angela," I asked again. I knew Angela's father had always put too much pressure on her. He was a preacher after all, and her actions reflected on him. It was only natural for a man in his pious position to let his pride run his children's spirits into the ground. Angela had always been strong though, I pitied her brothers more. She shook her head, then burst into tears again. "I think you're father's right," I sighed out, sitting down more comfortably beside her.

"I'm going to hell," she gasped.

"Looks to me like you're already there," I answered. "All that pain and guilt on top of a broken heart, not to mention feeling cut off from everyone. You don't have to be alone, Angela. I'm certain your mother would understand, that your friends would support you."

"But daddy won't," she sobbed, as I offered her as much comfort as my ghostly self could give. "I was always too busy to fall in love," she hiccupped. "I was a good daughter. I even turned down Brown to go to U-Dub for Pete's sake! All to stay close to my family… Then I met Britney. We started out as friends, but it… evolved. It shouldn't have. I knew she played the field, that she would leave me. It's my fault I loved her, my fault I've lost everything."

"You haven't lost anything," I soothed her. "Your family – your mother and brothers, they will always love you. Sure, you might be hurt now, but hearts are amazingly resilient – especially beautiful ones like yours. Someday, when you're ready, you'll meet someone incredible that's actually worth your time."

"You think," she gave a shaky smile, a glimmer of hope entering her eyes.

"Are you doubting an angel," I teased, tensing when I heard someone say my name. I cursed myself silently. The voice sounded frantic, which meant Seth must have come to the hotel room and was trying to wake what appeared to him to be a lifeless corpse. I felt the tug on my soul to return to my body, to calm him, but I had to know Angela was alright first. "One day at a time, Angela," I called out as I began to fade, "one day at a time."

The next second, my eyes snapped open to see the hotel ceiling above me. My body felt hot, and something wet was falling on my chest. I fought off my disorientation and found Seth holding my body and weeping into my chest. My arms encircled him, rubbing his back soothingly. "Hey," I whispered, "it's alright, Seth. Whatever's happened, I'm sure it'll be alright." His face jerked upwards, his bloodshot eyes holding my own.

"Thank the Spirits," he huffed out, moving to kiss me, his tongue darting out but I was too shocked to allow him entrance. "I thought you were dead, Bella. Dear God, you were dead."

"I'm a deep sleeper," I laughed lightly, trying to play off his concerns.

"You had no heartbeat, you weren't breathing," he argued. "What the fuck was that?"

"Seth," I started, standing up to tell him how silly he sounded, when he cut me off. "Don't lie to me," he snapped. "I'm not some dumb kid. Just tell me, am I going to find you like that every time you sleep?"

"I… I don't know," I answered as honestly as I could. "But I'm fine now, really. Listen, why don't I get cleaned up and we can go clubbing tonight," I attempted to smile. "I usually don't like that sort of thing, but I figure they don't have much of a night life at the rez."

"Not unless you include bonfires and skipping stones on the ocean," he quipped. "Mmmm," I hummed, walking towards the bathroom, "sounds like heaven."

"Yeah?" I stopped at the bathroom door to look back at him. His brows were drawn down in thought and there was a questioning gaze in his eyes. "Do you… Do you really think you could be happy there, Bella? On the reservation?"

"I'm not sure," I told him, "but I'm willing to find out." That said, I continued on my way to shower.

* * *

Alisha was already at the club when Seth and I arrived, dancing – or dry humping rather – a random hottie. I shook my head at her antics, mouthing to her to meet me at the bar. "Why don't you find us a table, and I'll get the drinks," I grinned towards Seth, who hastily agreed.

"You bettered be careful," Alisha's jeering voice filled my ears. "Or you might find yourself on the next Springer special. Not that I'd blame you, Seth is hot."

"You think so?" Alisha gave a look that clearly said 'duh', and I smirked evilly. "Good, I need you to distract him."

"What, why?"

I sighed impatiently at her questions. "Long story short, Seth interrupted my hunt earlier, so now I have to eat the other way."

"The other way," her hazel eyes widened. "What, here? Now?"

"Yes, now," I snapped. "Look, are you going to floor fuck him for me or not!"

"Okay, okay," she replied, hands held out defensively, "I'll pervert your step bro for you, yesh. Just don't hold me responsible if I don't move quickly enough for you tomorrow," she winked, grabbing the drinks and heading towards the table Seth had found. I set out to find a target. Trampy or not, I knew no woman would hold Seth's attention long. Sooner or later, he'd come looking for me. Luck was on my side, however, and I found a grade A asshole in no time. I moved acrossed the floor, gliding easily in my black leather pants and boots. "Hey," I called out as I approached my mark. His hair was stringy and greasy, falling down past his chin, his blue eyes were cold, his skin nearly has pale as a vampires (and his black clothes did nothing to help his complexion). I could read from his thoughts that he'd raped, even murdered, many women, that he wanted to have me. Lust was practically pouring off this guy so thickly I would have thought he was a sex addict. "I saw you across the room, and wondered if you wanted to get out of here for a while," I said with a smile.

Ice blue eyes looked me over from top to bottom, a slight smirk playing at his lips. He didn't speak, he just stood from his booth, grabbed my hand and lead me towards the alley way exit. Perfect, not cameras there. He shoved me against a brick wall roughly once outside, his wet lips pressed hungrily against mine. "Uh-uh," I taunted, flipping us so that he was backed against the wall instead, "big boys have to earn the right to be on top."

He laughed at that, pushing his semi-erect member against my hips. "I promise I'm a big boy, princess. Can't have my women disappointed, can I?"

"Women," I asked, causing him to tense. He was worried I was becoming clingy already and wanted to sped things along. 'Fuck her and run,' his mind chanted. "I have a friend inside," I continued. "Maybe she could join us later, if you think you can handle us both." His member jerked against me from inside his pants. "It's okay if you can't," I teased, my hand slipping down to massage the tented area of his jeans, "she tends to prefer it when I take care of her."

He moaned, his eyes fluttered as he tried to keep them open. "Maybe you could take me from behind," I whispered as I kissed and nipped up his neck, my hands undoing his pants and freeing him so I could hold him properly. "That way you could fuck and watch at the same time."

"You're amazing," he sighed, his mouth turning to claim mine. For a minute, my mind reminded me of another man who'd called me amazing, another mouth that had hungrily sought mine as I pleasured him. But for that man, I'd desired life – his strong heart beating forever free, with me. This piece of shit before me, I desired only death. Savagely, I bit his lip and twisted his member until it snapped in my hand. His mouth opened to scream, but I opened my mouth as well, taking everything he was – his very essence – inside myself.

I looked down at the fresh corpse on the ground, flickers of Quil still flittering through my mind. "That was another life," I whispered to myself, knowing I couldn't go back – he wouldn't want me even if I could. Disgust over what I'd done, what I'd become filled me, but I pushed it away. "I am what I am," I said firmly. "I can't change it. But I can do good with it, and this," I said, looking down at the sleaze ball by my feet, "will ensure he doesn't harm any other women." Feeling a little better about myself, I took a deep breath and went back inside to find Alisha and Seth.


	6. Chapter 6

The Call

Chapter 6

Alisha was easy to spot, back flush against one wall with some random guy's tongue down her throat. 'Good for her,' I thought, glad she might actually think about something other than sex tomorrow, but that quickly turned to worry over Seth's location. Where was he? "Calm down," I chided myself, "I'm sure he's fine." And if he wasn't, I wasn't even sure if Sue could kill me. I mean, I had a pulse and all, but I wasn't exactly human anymore. I looked around nervously, not seeing him anywhere. Maybe he went to the men's room? But what if he hadn't?

Biting my lower lip, I closed my eyes and tried to feel him like I had earlier at the TV station. When that didn't work, I tried my other kind of listening and caught a few hints of melancholy. I didn't know whether to be relieved or concerned, so I withheld my judgment and walked back out the door I'd just entered, walking past the corpse and around the corner to a café. I could see him through the glass panel windows squished into a corner booth, barely sipping his coffee. _She said she felt me. I thought she accepted me, but then who was that guy? Why can't she just love me? She has to love me…_

I shook my head clear of his thoughts as I entered the building. I told the lady at the counter I'd have a coffee, and then pointed towards Seth's booth. She nodded with a faint smile, and I text Alisha to let her know we'd gone as I walked over to him. "Is this seat taken," I asked as softly as I could, his watery brown eyes nearly breaking my heart when he looked up at me. He shrugged his shoulders in response, but I could feel his despair recede slightly, which made it harder for me to hear his inner turmoil.

"You left," I mirrored the words he said to me that morning.

"Your friend wanted to play crouch footsy with her hands," he said, a sour expression on his face.

"You're not into crouch footsy," I teased, one of my boots running along the inside of his calf as I crossed my legs.

"Wrong girl," he deadpanned, his eyes darkening slightly as he breathed in deeply. "So good," he muttered quietly, his eyes nearly rolling in the back of his head before he regained control of himself. The waitress brought my coffee and I quickly added a dash a cream and two sugars. "You never told me what you knew this morning," I commented, busying one hand with my stir straw, "about sensing me. You _do_ know something, don't you?"

"Who was that guy you were with," he questioned, ignoring my inquiry. "The one you left with?"

"Left? I didn't leave," I assured him. "We merely stepped outside for a minute. It was business, promise," I added at his dubious expression.

"What kind of business?" He sipped his coffee, his eyes never leaving me.

"The unpleasant but necessary kind," I replied honestly. _She doesn't want him. Maybe she does accept me, accept it. Fuck, she's so beautiful. Smells so good…_ Seth's thoughts surrounded me, the coldness of misery being pushed aside as relief, arousal, and even the beginnings of love trickled in. I was surprised I could still hear him, what with all the positive sensations pulsing though his system, but doing what I did, I had one hell of a good poker face. Placing my free hand over his, I asked if he was ready to go back to the hotel room yet. "Places like that always make me feel gross," I said with a slight pout. "Don't know about you, but I need a shower."

"Would my shower include you," he whispered roughly, his tongue darting out to wet his lips.

"Depends on how you play your cards, Romeo," I winked, before standing up and going to the cashier to pay for our drinks. The room swayed slightly as first, but I hide it well. That and the current zinging of electricity through my system was an effect of feeding the way I had tonight, maybe that was why I could hear Seth so much better?

He took my hands and led me from the café, shocks of pleasure accompanying his every touch. I moaned softly once we were outside and his lips gently, sensually covered my own. "Tell me something," he whispered into my ear, his warm breath causing shivers to run up my spine. I would have told him anything in that moment, and told him so. Seth chuckled, a deep, joyful sound. "Will you still be with me like this when we go back?" He pulled back enough for me to see the fear in his eyes, fear that this – our time in Seattle – was a fantasy, and the second we returned to the reservation, I'd deny anything I'd ever felt for him. "Because, honestly, Bella, I don't know if I could live like that. Pretending that I don't love you, not being able to hold you. I just…please don't ask me to."

"Seth, I…" I didn't know what to say, how to respond. Something inside me seemed to know there was no going back where he was concerned – where we were concerned. I latched on to that feeling with everything I was, I stepped forward and kissed him soundly. "I'm not walking away from this – whatever it is. Nothing you have to say will change that, ok?" His smile widened, lighting up his whole face, while his arms tightened around me. "Thank God," he murmured into my hair, then kissed me again. "Now," he teased, "about that shower…"

We took a taxi back to the hotel, his hand never leaving mine. I paid the driver when we'd stopped, exiting the cab quickly. Seth was impatient, however, and pulled my body against his almost as soon as we were both standing. "My Bella," he whispered huskily, "I want to know everything about you – every part." His words and his lips were turning my insides to mush. I forced myself to breathe deeply and turn away. "Can we at least get inside first," I jeered playfully.

"Nuh-uh," he groaned. "Too long."

I made the most girly noise I'd ever made in the history of me – I giggled. Actually freakin' giggled. I couldn't help but wonder what it was about him that made me act this way. I pray for a diversion, for just a few minutes to clear my head. I shouldn't have, as it seemed someone upstairs was finally paying attention to me. One second, Seth was kissing me. His large, warm hands touching every part of me he could grab. The next, his body stiffened then began to shake as he pulled back. "You're right," he nearly growled, his eyes looking around wildly, "we should get inside." He moved to pull me along with him, but the wind shifted and I smelled _them_ – vampires. My teeth nearly chattered with excitement, my blood hummed with the thought of battle – of killing my natural enemy, the only creature to escape death. "It's okay," I smiled towards him, "you go ahead. I'll be along shortly."

"Bella," he called, a frown set stubbornly upon his face, "please, just come in with me."

I breathed in and smelled they were getting closer; in fact they were almost here. "Seth, I," I sighed, my mind racing. I couldn't let him see what was about to happen, but I couldn't let them go either - my otherness wouldn't let me. "I'm sorry," I replied softly, leaning forward to kiss him again. This kiss, however, was different from our other kisses. This kiss wasn't meant to convey our mutual attraction, or to share any form of intimacy, this kiss was a kiss of death – sort of. It wasn't full forced, in fact only half of his soul would be transferred to me temporarily. Once the battle was over, I'd be able to return it with the added bonus of him not remembering a thing that had occurred for up to five minutes before he fainted.

Carefully, I slid his body down to the ground, propping his upper torso up against the hotel wall nearest to the alley. Then I waited, crouched down next to Seth, ready to protect him against my enemy whatever the risk. I listened as they approached, and tackled one of them down when they'd stopped to scent out their prey. The dirty-blond man hissed, his red eyes glowing with his rage. "Here," he screamed at the dark haired teen next to him, "kill her. This is your dinner." I laughed darkly, my eye teeth sharpening to fierce looking incisors, "Oh, I don't think so, sweetling," I taunted the girl. "Best you run along." To her credit, she did attempt to knock me off of her companion (as I was currently straddled over his prone form), but I merely sliced my talon like fingernails acrossed her neck and watch her head fall to the ground. "Now then," I grinned viciously, "where were we?"

"I was about to kill you," he snarled, "fucking bitch!"

"Right," I replied slowly, "that." With a sneer, I pulled back a fist, punched it through his chest, and pulled out his heart. "What'd you know," I scoffed, "it actually is black." I almost snickered as I crushed it in my hand, but refrained. Dragging the bodies down the same alley I'd hidden Seth, I reached into my purse, lit a match and watched them burn. Once I was satisfied they were good and toasty, I threw one of Seth's arms around my shoulders and half lead/half dragged him to our room. Getting him on the bed wasn't easily either, and his shallow, quick breaths were making me nervous.

I closed my eyes, forced myself to relax, then leaned forward and kissed him, breathing his soul back into him. "I'm truly sorry for that," I whispered, tears gathering in my eyes. "I suppose saying I did it to protect you wouldn't make you feel any better about it, would it?" I huffed out a large puff of air. "Thankfully I won't have to say anything at all. For all you know, you'll just wake up." I kissed the top of his head, then went to shower before snuggling up beside him for the night. "I don't know why I feel like I do about you," I told him, my fingers running through his short, black hair. "It's been so long since I've even been willing to love again, and then you come out of nowhere, and…" I laid down beside him, held him close. "I know with our parents and all things might not be easy, but I promise I'm not running this time." I knew tomorrow would be a busy day, what with the music video shoot, but I was determined to have Seth back safe in La Push within the next 24 hours – my schedule be damned. "Rest now," I mumbled, "we'll be home soon."


	7. Chapter 7

The Call

Chapter 7

When I opened my eyes the next morning, I was looking straight into the dark fathomless orbs of Seth Clearwater. I smiled at him, and he returned it immediately, lifting one of his hands to trace his fingertips along my jawline before pulling me into a gentle kiss. "It's official," he grinned, "you're always beautiful." If I could have blushed, I would have. Instead, I bit my bottom lip and rolled over to look at my cellphone. "It's almost time to go," I told him, sitting up, stretching, and then hopped out of bed and went towards the bathroom; throwing my nightshirt off along the way. Seth groaned, cursing under his breath and then called after me, "was that an invitation, Swan?" I just laughed, though a part of me tingled with anticipation at the thought of finally seeing all of Seth in his naked glory, I was ultimately glad he refrained. He brushed his teeth while I showered, taking his own shower when I was done. We moved about each other like magnets, never touching yet always aware of the other's presence. When it was finally time to go, he took my hand on the elevator ride down to the parking garage where my car was (though I hated to drive in the city), and we headed towards the pier warehouses. Along the way, I told Seth about my plan to head back to the reservation that night.

"What," he gasped out, confusion filling his voice. "Did I-"

"No," I cut him off, "I love spending time with you, and I hope being home doesn't change that." He let out a relieved breath, assured me it wouldn't. "Truth is, I don't feel safe here, in the city. I'm a rural girl at heart." He grinned at that, squeezed my hand and told me I was _his girl_. I smiled back. "Besides, after today you've already missed two days of school, the week before Christmas Break. Tomorrow will be your last chance to review before your semester exams."

"You care about that?"

"I care about you, Seth. I love you." The words fell from my lips easier than I would have thought possible after all the heartache I'd experienced. "Let's just get this shoot over with. Then we can grab a bite to eat before packing up and heading home. Tell you what," I continued, noticing his sullen expression, "once we hit the interstate, I'll pull over and let you drive."

"Really," he perked up like a little kid that was offered free ice cream.

"Really."

* * *

The video shoot ended just after 12:30, and I was exhausted. "Good thing you're driving most of the way home," I commented as I stabbed my broccoli and cheese baked potato with my fork. Seth chuckled as he finished his fourth stake. "I mean it," I pressed, "I don't think I could keep my eyes open the whole drive."

"Don't worry about it," he smiled softly, one of his large hands encasing one of my smaller ones, while I ate with the other. "I'm man enough to keep you safe in a moving vehicle while you catch a little shut eye."

"Of course you are," I grinned, pushing the last few bites of my food around on my plate. "Come on. Let's get back to the hotel."

"Just can't wait to get me alone, huh, Swan," he teased.

The drive was quick, for one o'clock on a Tuesday in Seattle anyway, and we were checked out and on our way home before two. As promised, as soon as we'd cleared the city, I pulled onto the side of the interstate road and switched Seth seats. I adjusted my seat so that my back was reclined slightly, smiling when Seth removed his leather jacket to cover me with. I was a sleep in no time and before I knew it, I could feel myself lifted up and knew he was carrying me inside. I curled my body against his, holding him close to me after he'd lowered me onto my bed and tried to pull away. "Don't want you to go," I mumbled, blinking my eyes open.

"And I don't want to, believe me," he whispered back, turning his body so he was sitting beside me. "You were right about coming back today, I kind of promised Embry I'd help him with something."

I frowned at that, setting up and pulled my arms away. "Seth," I started with a hesitant sigh, "you agreed you need to focus on your exams."

"I can't just bail on him, Bella," he replied, clearly exasperated, "not like everyone else." I bit my bottom lip and thought quickly. "Ok, he's your friend, and obviously this is important to you," I reasoned. "But your grades are important too, Seth. What if… what if I helped Embry? Then he wouldn't be doing whatever by himself and you'd be able to study."

"You'd do that?"

"For you, sure." My smile faltered slightly as I leaned in and whispered conspiringly, "what exactly am I doing?" Seth burst out laughing, a truly joyous sound. "Nothing much, promise. Embry's grandmother moved down here from the Mekah rez a few years ago. She ended up building an antiques store and well… She died a few months ago, and Embry has finally decided to do something with it. Me and some of the guys volunteered to help him clean it up, only –"

"Other things came up," I cut him off.

"Yeah," he nodded. "I'd feel like shit if I ditched him too. He's been like a brother to me since I… started high school and all."

"It's settled then," I said firmly. "Your mom has the morning shift for the next three or four days anyway, and I have my cell if Charlie needs me. You just study, kay? I'll show up at Embry's bright and early. As for right now, it should be dinner time, right?"

He nodded, then looked down. "How 'bout I just pop over at Em's real quick. Let him know what's going on? I think mom ordered pizza already anyway. Charlie's pissed because she won't let him have any pepperoni." I couldn't help it, I had to laugh. I could just picture my dad pouting like a baby. "I'm not your parent," I finally told Seth. "Do what you want. Just know I'm here for you."

The next day, I showed up at the Call house shortly after Seth had left for school. Embry answered the door quickly, let me in as he finished cleaning up after breakfast. "Mom's great," he told me with a shy smile and a hint of a blush, "she's just not that good at keeping things tidy. But then I've never met a lawyer who was."

"Or one that had the time," I quipped, looking around. The house looked like Mr. Clean himself lived there. "So, what all are we doing today?"

"I got the antiques boxed up or sold off already. The ones that didn't sell, I've posted them on a website hoping to reach a wider audience. I washed the walls down yesterday and primed them. Today I was hoping to get some of the painting done, if not finished."

"I'm sure between the two of us, it'll be no problem," I reassured, glad I'd worn my comfy jeans and tatter t-shirt I saved for cleaning or gardening. "Need any help before we go?"

Embry looked over his shoulder at me as he patted his hands dry on the dishtowel. "Nah, I'm ready. I cleaned the shop's fridge out and stocked it a little a few days ago, and the toilet is in working order, so we should be good. Come on, I'll show you the way. It's not too far from here, actually."

He wasn't lying, the quaint little shop was only about a five minute walk from his house, on the outskirts of the La Push shopping area. The back area was surrounded by a thick forest, while the front area was clearly visible to passerbys. Hell, his grandmother had even put wooden benches on both sides of the entrance to attract pedestrians to widow shop if nothing else. "This is a great location," I couldn't help but exclaim. "And the building itself looks so inviting. Normally when a thick, gloomy forest is anywhere around it makes things look run down or at least slightly creepy, but this looks like a cottage out of a hallmark card or something. What are you planning to do with the place?"

Embry looked pleased, his russet skin deepening in a slight blush. "Thanks, I'm glad you like it. Believe it or not, I'm planning on making it a book store."

"Books," I sighed out wistfully. "Oh, be still my heart! You know any other circumstances and I might have considered this a date." His adorable blush lit up his face again. "R-really, Bella. I-"

I turned to look at him, his hands shaking as he attempted to unlock the door. I bit my lip, ashamed I'd rendered him in such a state, stepped forward and placed my hands over his. "Embry, I'm sorry. I was only teasing. I'll behave from now on." He looked at me, startled that I'd touched him, his nostrils flaring as he breathed deeply. Once again I watched his eyes dilate and darken as he took in my scent, and I had to wonder what was up with these Quileute men. "What if I don't want you to behave," he replied, his voice husky and lower than it had been previously.

"Embry," I started to question him, but his lips claimed mine fiercely. I knew I should push him off, tell him about Seth, but as soon as his tongue touched my lips fire erupted through my system and my brain shut down. Somehow we ended up inside the store, the front door shut and my back against the closest wall. When he finally pulled back for air, Embry leaned down by my neck and breathed deeply – just like Seth and Jacob had. Also like them, he moaned about how good I smelled – what the fuck was up with that? He straightened a bit, leaning back down to kiss me again when my brain suddenly started functioning. "I can't," I leaned back taking in his face. Hurt and confusion were the main two emotions, and I wanted to soothe him so much, I didn't resist when he pulled me against him.

"Did I do something? God, did I force-"

"No," I cut him off, "no. I… I liked it, Embry. Honestly when I started hanging out with Jacob after Cullen left, I felt like we had the most in common. I'm only sorry we didn't get to see each other more." He grinned at that, his eyes lighting up. "The reason I can't, is because Seth and I are kind of involved."

"Kind of involved," he questioned. "Are you or aren't you?"

"We are," I answered, though it sounded more like a question. He laughed softly, one of his hands tucking a stray piece of hair behind my ears. "I get it, Bells. You like Seth, you don't want to cheat. I respect that, I really do. But I also feel like you like me too, that we could have something special. I'm not asking you to cheat," he cut me off when I opened my mouth to protest, "or do anything you're not comfortable with. Seth and I are very close, more like –"

"Brothers," I nodded. "He told me, that's all the more reason why –"

"This could work," he grinned. "I know you don't know me well. But, Bells, we have three, maybe four days for you to get to know me right now. Seth and I, we're not the jealous sort – at least not about each other. I'm certain if we're all honest, we could make this work. That is, if you want it to." I didn't know what to say. I did feel something for Embry, but I didn't want to risk what I had with Seth. I opened my mouth to answer, but shut it each time. "Just get to know me, please Bella. We can start there, can't we?"

"Yeah," I agreed after a few tense moments, "we can start there." He smiled so brightly, it was nearly blinding. "Great," he gushed, relieved. "Let's, um, let's get to work then." With that he motioned towards the painting supplies on the floor. The top half, he wanted a sky blue, the bottom half a light sandy brown with an inch and a half stripe of silver to separate them. He told me once the painting was done, he was replacing the linoleum with dark oak laminated flooring. "I don't know," he rubbed the back of his neck as he looked at our progress before we took a lunch break, "maybe I should get some rugs too. It would help cut down on the noise."

"So would curtains," I teased, noticing all the widows had only blinds. Embry smiled, happy I was starting to feel comfortable around him. "Come on," he motioned towards the front door. "I'll take you to Ateara's Market for lunch. You do know they added a deli since you've been gone, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I've been there recently."

"Great!" He offered his hand and I hesitantly placed mine in his as he walked us along the sidewalk to the market. I'm sure we made quite the pair, both covered in random paint splatters. Embry and I both got a lidded Styrofoam plate of fried chicken, mash potatoes, and green beans, though he did get quite a bit more than me. I grabbed a PowerAde to drink, Embry grabbed a Rainer beer. As we ate, he told me about the garage Jake and Paul had opened together, that he and Quil helped out part time when things got really busy – which seemed to be most of the time. "Seth takes over for me in the summer though. He would do it all year, but Sue doesn't want his grades to suffer. I don't mind, especially now. You know, with me trying to start my own business and all." I listened and nodded in all the right places, though I was saddened to hear Seth, despite his high GPA, would most likely ended up working as a mechanic his whole life. It wasn't that I had anything against the profession, and if it truly made him happy I'd support him fully, it was just that I felt he had so much potential to do something amazing with his life. To me, it seemed like Seth was settling for the bare minimum of what was expected of him. Embry also told me that Paul had married Rachel Black a little over a year and a half ago, and they were expecting their first child – which was predicted to be a girl. "She's about five months along, and Paul is super protective," he said with a laugh. "I mean it! One time, Leah Clearwater was helping Emily move some furniture around in Paul's house – something about the cosmic energy flow being off of something – and Emily tripped on a rug and fell backwards onto the floor. She didn't even touch Rachel, but it surprised her enough that she screamed. Paul almost ripped the door off its hinges getting to her." Embry chuckled to himself until he was red in the face then shook his head. "So, what about you? What have you done since you left Forks?" His warm eyes looked at me curiously. "Why did you leave Forks?"

My appetite vanished with that question, the joy and ease I had been feeling left me as well. "I, um," I started, squirming uncomfortably in my red plastic chair.

"You don't have to say anything if you don't want to," he said, clearly feeling the change that had come over me.

"No," I forced a smile, "it's fine. I mean, you'll find out anyway. Ok, so you remember I dated Edward Cullen for a while? It didn't work out, obviously. So, I hung out with Jake… Which didn't work out. Then I dated Quil." I frowned at that, remembering how my body used to respond to his. "Well, I more than dated Quil," I corrected, causing Embry's brows to crease in his confusion. "He was my first," I clarified. I smiled sadly, losing myself in my memories. "We didn't work out. Or, rather, I finally slept with him and he broke up with me the next day."

"What," Embry growled out in outrage. "He – you – he… That dick!"

"It's fine," I shrugged my shoulders. "I'd graduated the day before, so I called my mom and started college in Florida. I ended up meeting some guy named Evan Masters, we got engaged actually."

"You were married," he gasped in shock.

I shook my head then looked out the window. "No. A, um… A few days before the wedding, I found him with my then best friend. That was a year ago, I haven't – hadn't dated since."

"Until Seth."

"Until Seth," I agreed with a nod. "I actually thought my heart didn't work anymore. You know, like all that bad had bled the love right out of me."

"But you care for me too, Bella," Embry rushed out, one of his warm hands reaching acrossed the table to wipe a few of my tears away. I pulled back, excused myself to the rest room, and quickly left the table. I splashed cold water on my face, patted it dry with a paper towel, and forced myself to take a couple calming breathes. I was determined to play this whole thing off and get back to the comfort we'd had earlier. Fate is a cruel mistress, however, and I'd soon learn that wasn't in the cards for me.


	8. Chapter 8

The Call

Chapter 8

Pulling open the women's restroom door at Ateara's Market, I took a deep breath and rushed out, prepared to say something witty to Embry to clear any remaining tension from the air. Instead, as soon as I'd taken no more than five steps, I crashed into what felt like a burning hot boulder. "I am so sorry," I gasped out, embarrassed that I hadn't been paying more attention. My brown eyes widened when I noticed who I'd actually ran into (literally). "Bella," he questioned and I felt a part of me crumble as old wounds opened with a vengeance. "Hey, Quil," I replied making my voice as strong as possible, "imagine running into you here."

"Yeah," he smirked. "Imagine, in my mother's store. What are the odds?"

I forced an odd smile that I'm certain looked more like a grimace and laughed awkwardly. "Yeah." I swallowed thickly and attempted to see past him towards where Embry and I had been sitting, only to find our seats empty. 'Great,' I thought, the knots in my stomach tightening until my muscles nearly started to cramp. "Look," I sighed heavily, looking anywhere but at him, "I really have a lot to do today. If you see Em could you tell him I headed back already?"

"Call," he asked, surprise coloring his words so much my head jerked up and my eyes connected with his. "Why would you and he be anywhere near each other?" His eyes were darker than I remembered, and they were narrowed suspiciously at me. His tone of ownership, however slight, quickly raised my ire and I glowered at him. "I don't think that's any of your business," I snapped. "Now if you'll excuse me."

"Excuse us, actually," Embry's voice said from behind me, sounding every bit as pissed off as I felt. I heard his heavy, angry steps as he approach Quil and I, one of his arms draping protectively over my shoulders. "Sorry I wasn't here when you got out, Bells," he said, but I could tell by Quil's expression they were staring each other down. I assured him it was alright, since he'd obviously came from the men's restroom, and asked if he was ready to go. "There's still so much to do," I reminded him, smiling when he snapped out of whatever testosterone driven stare down he and Quil were currently in.

"You're right," he smiled down at me stiffly. His arm tightened a bit around me as he led us out of the market and back towards his shop. As soon as he shut the door firm behind us, his body seemed to sag as the tension left him. "I'm so sorry, Bella," he all but squeaked out. "I didn't know how things were with you and Quil –"

"Exactly," I cut him off. "You didn't know, so quit beating yourself up about it. Is he still a sore subject for me? Yeah, but he doesn't know that. Honestly, it's fine –"

"No it's not, Bella," he turned to face me, his eyes flashing golden yellow for a second, "don't you get that? You shouldn't have had to put up with that. I should have-"

"You did all you could," I replied tiredly, stepping closer until he was near enough to embrace. I nuzzled against his chest, feeling how warm he was even through his t-shirt, and breathed him in. The smell of him calmed me almost instantly, and I found myself pulling him closer. "I feel so safe with you," I mumbled. Embry released a deep sigh and rested his cheek on top of my head in responds. "I think you're right," I whispered, my determination growing stronger with each word, "we should talk to Seth. Maybe, maybe we three can work something out."

Embry pulled back quickly, but only enough to gage my reaction. "Seriously? You mean it?" I bashfully looked up at the thought of agreeing to be in a relationship with two men, but nodded. The happiness that filled Embry Call's face could have rivaled the face of any child's on Christmas morning. He ducked his head down and claimed my lips with such passion I wasn't sure if my insides were burning or melting. I did know that my body was pliant in his arms, easily molding against his form, causing him to groaned deep in his throat. His lips lifted away from mine and began kissing and nipping down my neck. I moaned and wiggled against him, lost in the rhythm of the pleasure he was creating within me. As he reached the apex where my neck met my shoulder, Embry paused and then rested his head there until he caught his breath. Fear quickly replaced desire, I knew my eyes were wide with uncertainty by the time he pulled back to look down at me. "It's not you," he assured, "I just think we should talk to Seth first."

"Seth," I whispered, my voice deepened by my emotions, "of course." I nodded my head in agreement, mentally chastising myself for not being stronger than my emotions.

"Unless you'd rather I took you on the floor right now," he growled sexily, his warm hands grabbing my hips and pulled me quickly against his. I moaned, my arousal thickening again, and I could have sworn his eyes flashed that same golden yellow color as before. "Tempting," I smile coquettishly at him, "but you're right before. Seth should know first."

Embry agreed, pushing himself away from me. He took in a deep breath, his nostrils flaring as his darkening eyes stared at me. "Maybe we should call it a day? I'll, um… I'll walk you home." I tried to argue, but he shook his head. "I don't want to chance you running into Quil again alone."

He held my hand all the way back to Sue's, stopping me just before we turned the corner to kiss me one last time. "I hope you know I've never felt like this about anyone before," he whispered sincerely. "I don't think – No," he corrected himself, a seriousness falling over his face that left my mouth feeling dry, "I know I'll never love anyone this way again, Bella. No matter what, you're it for me."

I reached up to touch his face and he quickly leaned into my palm, his eyes fluttering shut with contentment. "Embry," I breathed out his name cause his lips to tugged upwards before he relaxed them again. I swallowed nervously and bit my bottom lip. "How will we tell him? What if-"

"Everything will be fine," he soothed me. "I'll talk to him about it tonight, ok? I'll hint at it first, see how he reacts. You know," he began, looking serious again, "Seth's never been in love like this either. You should have heard him when he came to my house the night you came to town."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," he smiled, his eyes taking in my every emotion. "It'll be fine, Bella," he said one more time before walking me the rest of the way home. Sue and Charlie were already at the dinner table, and at my curious glance, told me Seth was out and would be home later. "Probably starving," Sue teased.

"I'll cook for him," I said, explaining that I wasn't very hungry at the moment either. "I think I'll just go wash some of this paint off," I said, smiling at the happy couple before calling a quick 'see you tomorrow' to Embry as I headed upstairs. I stood in the shower, water rushing over me with all these thoughts of my past lovers as well as Embry and Seth rolling around in my head until the hot water was gone. Even then, I merely turned off the water and slipped down onto the shower floor until the steam finally dissipated from the room. I had no answer for anything, but I refused to feel guilt or regret any longer. I had feelings – maybe they weren't kosher with normal society, but they were real and I wasn't going to hide from them. 'Besides,' I mentally reminded myself, 'it's not like I'm normal anyway.'

I did slip down later that night and fixed some barbeque ribs for Seth that I kept warm by not removing the aluminum foil from the pan. I placed it on the stove and turned the dome light on so he'd see it before heading to bed. My stomach was still in knots and the thought of food made me nauseous. I slept fitfully that night, despite having made my decision, and was slightly relieved that Seth had left for school before I'd returned from my morning run. It was his first day of exams, and I reminded myself after one more day he'd be out of school for two weeks – for better or worse. I dressed in another pair of "work clothes" (i.e. clothes I wouldn't mind if they got ruined), forced down a piece of plain toast and a cup of orange juice, and headed over to Embry's shop. He was already there, carrying in square white boxes he told me held the laminated wood he'd be installing throughout the first floor. "I thought you could paint the silver stripe by yourself while I click these together."

We worked quickly, efficiently together, pausing only when it was time for lunch. "I brought some sandwiches today," Embry said with a soft smile. "Thought we'd eat here and avoid a repeat of yesterday." I agreed, sitting down beside him on the floor of what would be the employee lounge. Embry had packed at least ten sandwiches and three different kinds of chip, as well as a case of Cokes. I settled for a chicken salad sandwich, a handful of Doritos, and left the rest for him (which he demolished without a problem). "I talked to Seth last night," he told me, pausing between bits of his third sandwich, "did he tell you?"

"I haven't seen him since yesterday morning," I replied, my stomach starting to knot itself again. "How did it go? He wasn't mad, was he?" I asked, a sense of dread building up inside of me. What if he'd left so early this morning because of what Embry had said? What if Seth was disgusted with me now?

"Hey," Embry whispered, putting his food down and gathering me to him until I was straddling his lap, "it went well, babe, promise. He's just stressed right now with school and everything. He's completely fine with us – all of us, ok?"

"You sure," I asked hesitantly, searching his face for the slightest hint of dishonestly. I found none as he assured me that he was positive that Seth was alright with everything. I began to relax then, that is until I completely registered what position I was in. I was once again thankful I could no longer blush, or I'd be tomato red for sure. Instead I bit my bottom lip as I looked at Embry Call's handsome face until I'd built up enough courage to claim his mouth with mine. He moaned into it easily, almost instantly moving his hands to tighten against my hips, as one of my hands rested on his chest and the other moved upwards toward his head, my fingers curling against his short black hair.

"God, Bells," he groaned when he pulled back to breathe, his hips thrusting upwards to rub our clothed arousals against one another's. "We have to stop now," he all but whimpered.

"Why," I questioned, nuzzling against the apex of his neck. "I don't want to." He said my name again in an imploring tone, though whether it was to continue or stop I don't know, as I'd chosen that moment to playful nip his apex. Embry, it seemed, had pushed me downwards so that he was hovering over me so quickly I hadn't completely comprehended the motion, his eyes flashed that same startling golden color and he looked at me with such primitive, possessive lust I thought my skin was going to ignite under his gaze. "This is a dangerous game," he warned, his voice a deep growl.

I shook my head but never looked away from his eyes. "I'm not playing, Embry," I whispered, afraid my voice would tremble if I spoke any louder. "I know I have feelings for you – intense, nonsensical feelings. Seth knows," I reasoned aloud, "he's ok with it. So tell me, why should I suppress them anymore?"

His breath was labored as he lowered his face back towards mine, his lips hovering close to mine but just out of reach. "Seth and I agreed," he started, his dark eyes focusing on my lips, "that the first time we were with you completely, we'd be together." His lust filled orbs finally looked away from my lips to gaze intensely into my own eyes. "Are you still sure about this? About being with both of us?" When I didn't answer immediately, Embry nodded and pulled back. "After that – after the first time – we'd be willing to be alone with you. You know, just one on one," he rambled nervously. "We just figured whoever got you first, the other would always be a little jealous over it. And honestly, I never thought it would be me, Bella. I-"

"Embry," I smiled at him, "it's alright. I wasn't rejecting you or him – you guys. I like to think things through is all, and I've never done anything like this before." I reached a tentative hand out and trance his jawline soothingly. "A promise is a promise," I smiled softly. "I'm sure we'll come to some agreement soon, after the pressure of finals is off Seth's back maybe."

"Yeah," he grinned. "Jeez, you're awesome. You're so easy going, Bella. You really are perfect for me – for us." I chuckled lightly, shaking my head as I stood and went back to work, painting the wall along the staircase in the employee lounge and the two rooms (three if you count the bath room) that were up there as well. It was easier since Embry wanted all of this to be the same light sand color he'd used at the bottom of the walls on the first floor. "Paint the bathroom first up there," he'd said when he noticed I was almost down with the stairway wall. "When I'm done down here, I'll be ripping the linoleum out and putting the laminated wood up there too." It was close to eight at night when I finished. Embry was leaning against the doorframe telling me how tomorrow (if I wanted to go) we could drive out to the discount flooring center in Port Angeles and look at carpeting that would cover up the stairs, through second floor hallway and into the two rooms. "I'm thinking of making one a bedroom," he said thoughtfully. "I don't know, maybe turn the second into an office."

"If you're going to make it an office, wouldn't it be better to put wood flooring in there too?"

His dark brows furred in thought, but he finally smiled. "I guess so. Come on," he sighed out tiredly as he took my hand, "let's get you home and then I'll come back and see if I have enough flooring left to finish the office. If not, I can pick up another box tomorrow."

"If we finish the flooring in the morning," Embry continued as we neared Sue and Charlie's home, "then we can start assembling the book shelves and decorating a bit and what not." He stopped short, his hand tugging on mine lightly. "You really don't mind going to all this trouble for me?"

"What trouble," I teased, leaning in to chastely kissing his lips. "Tell you what," I smiled, "Sue is trying to help me get rights to open my own shop, if she can –"

"Is it what you want," he asked. I nodded lightly and Embry's whole being seemed to hum with happiness. "Then it'll happen," he replied sincerely.

"If it does," I continued cautiously, "I'm going to need to look for my own place –"

"On the rez or in Forks?"

"I was hoping here," I admitted. "I know it's frown upon to sell reservation property to pale faces and all, so I was hoping –"

"Hoping what," he questioned hesitantly.

"Maybe I could pay for it, but we could put your or Seth's name on the deed?"

"Why not just move in with me? We could both stay in the room above the bookstore."

"That's sweet," I grinned, "but I was thinking about getting a house big enough for all of us to live together. You know, the three of us?"

"You mean it," Seth's voice sounded from behind us causing Embry and I to turn and face him, "you really want all of us to be together?" I nodded, not sure why his body seemed to be trembling. He sighed in relief with my non-verbal answer. "Great Spirit be praised," he said under his breath. "I thought Embry was just being nice and you were dumping me."

"Seth, no," I gasped as a light sense of horror gripped me. "I'm not sure what's going on with the three of us, I've never had feelings for two different people at the same time before, but I promise I'm not giving you up – either of you," I added, glancing between the two. I kissed Embry's cheek and told him I'd see him in the morning before taking Seth's hand and walking the rest of the way home with him. Sue and Charlie had left a note saying they'd gone to Port Angeles to catch a movie, so I ordered us some pizzas and settled down on the couch to watch tv with Seth, snuggling up against his warm skin. It was then I noticed he wasn't wearing a shirt. "Where were you?"

"I went to Collin's after school," he shrugged, though he did throw his arm around me and pulled me closer to him. "So Embry said something interesting today," I started, placing chaste kisses on his exposed chest. Seth made a non-committal sound. "He told me you two had agreed that the first time you guys have me completely, you want to have me at the same time. I was wondering, Seth, when exactly is that going to happen?"

"Is it a problem?"

"No," I shook my head, my eyes lighting up mischievously, "I was just wondering if I needed to buy some Christmas lingerie. Maybe a slutty Mrs. Clause teddy or something? Because I fully intend to let you unwrap me," I teased. Seth cursed under him breath and readjusted himself quickly. "Maybe," he closed his eyes, swallowed thickly and released a shaky sigh, "maybe the three of us could meet up after the Black's Christmas party Sunday night?"

"Where," I asked, lowering my head to kiss him only to pull back at the last second, smiling at the frustration that colored his face. "Seth, baby, where? Don't you know how much I want to be with you?" I licked up his neck and he whispered my name. "Where?"

"I'll, um, I'll talk to Em tonight," he fumbled out, hissing as his erection grew uncomfortable in his pants. I looked at the oversized bulge and carefully undid the zipper and top button that held his khaki shorts closed. I bit my lip in indecision before I finally looked up at his nearly black eyes. "Is it alright if I help you, Seth? It that allowed?"

"Help me," he murmured.

"Yeah," I lowered my head in embarrassment (again, grateful I could no longer blush), "can I, um… Can I taste your cock?" He gasped, his nostrils flared, but he finally nodded slowly. "As long as I don't taste you, Bella, or fuck you without Embry here, you can do whatever you want." I grinned as I eyed his erection, feeling suddenly greedy and nearly giddy with lust. One of my hands stroked him, with long, firm movements that always fell just shy from touching his mushroom top. I frowned as I noticed how turned on I was becoming and, remembering Seth's words, pulled my hand back. Seth's eyes, which had begun to flutter shut, snapped open and he looked at me questioningly. "So, you aren't allowed to help me," I clarified, nodding when he shook his head. "Alright, come on then," I said, standing and turning the tv off before starting up the stairs to Seth's room. He entered his room seconds behind me, a confused expression on his face. "Dad and Sue could come home anytime now, silly," I smiled, stepping closer to him and pressing lightly against his chest until he laid down on his bed. "Do you really want them to see my hand down your pants?"

"Guess not," he chuckled, his eyes darkening as I stripped down to just my teal thong. I leaned towards him, grabbing the ends of his shorts and pulled them down his legs, only to throw them carelessly on the floor behind me. There he was, after nearly two weeks of thinking about him, naked in front of me. I could feel my juices begin to run as my body warmed at the sight of him. I crept closer, straddling him as he laid on his bed, leaning downwards to kiss him. We both groaned in unison at the feel of our bare chests touching, our mouths were quick to claim each other's and our tongues warred against the other's. Our bodies naturally began to move against each other's, one of my hands slipped down to stroke him member. To my surprise, his erection had become even thicker with his need, and some baser part of me longed to feel him inside. 'Not this time,' I chastised myself, focusing on the matter at hand. I squeezed his member, massaging him the best I could as I nipped and sucked downwards along his neck. He growled and cursed, some of his noises sounding incredibly animalistic as I continued on, past his nipples (though I couldn't help but lick one), his abs, and onwards until my mouth finally claimed his member, my lips wrapping tightly around him as I bobbed my head rhythmically along his shaft.

"Fuck, Bells," he growled, his hands lowering to my head, his fingers curling in my long, white hair. Seth clenched his jaw when my tongue swirled around his tip before licking its hole, my spare hand (the one that wasn't wrapped around the base of his shaft) gently squeezed his testicles just before they tensed and his seed spilled into my mouth. I hummed at the taste of him, swallowing it down before I pulled away from his newly limp member. Seth's eyes were closed, a smile stretched acrossed his face as he attempted to calm his labored breath. I climbed up his body, settling my head on his chest as I laid beside him. "Didn't think it'd feel like that," he whispered. "Damn, Bells, where'd you learn to do that?"

I laughed, kissed his chest and asked if he really wanted me to answer that. "Guess not," he grinned, his arm coming around me to pull me closer to him. "I supposed Embry's better at that than I am," Seth said after a moment, his voice quiet and filled with a hint of despair.

"Wouldn't know," I answered simply. He leaned forward slightly, just enough to see my face fully, as he questioned my response. "Embry and I haven't gotten that far yet," I replied, nuzzling against his flesh. He kissed my forehead and told me he loved me, then laid back down. "Seth, you do know how much you mean to me, don't you?"

"I'm starting to," he smiled, his eyes already fluttering closed as he drifted off to sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

The Call

Chapter 9

Friday went by quicker than expected, what with the drive to Port Angeles and getting the shop set up for business. Embry had actually had enough wood pieces to finish the floor in the would-be office before our trip, so all we had to look for was carpeting. He was being very practical about the whole thing, wanting something that was long-lasting and stain resistant as well as comfortable to walk on barefoot. He ended up getting a white-ish grey carpet from StainMasters after nearly two hours of comparing samples. Embry installed it himself while I got to work putting the metal turn-able comic book stands and the bookshelves together. "When do you think you'll open for business," I asked as I hung up the navy blue and silver pin-striped curtains and he put out a few sandy brown rugs of different lengths.

"Probably after the New Year," he answered, turning around to help me off the step-stool and hugging my body close to his. "You know, even after a shower I can still smell Seth all over you," he whispered into my ear. Confusion and surprise ran through me, how could he smell that? It wasn't humanly possible. "I know you didn't fuck him, Bells," he murmured into my hair, "and I'm not mad or anything. I was just wondering when's it going to be our turn? I don't think you know how bad I want you."

"Seth said we could all meet Sunday, after Billy's party," I muttered, swallowing nervously. "He was supposed to talk to you about it last night." Embry's fingers tightened on my hips. "Something came up," his voice came out harsh and bitter, "we were busy."

"Hey," I piped up, trying to change the topic, "did you hear the wolves last night? It was late, sometime after Seth snuck out, I know. I've never heard them howl like that before." Embry's face tensed even more, mumbling a 'yeah, it was something,' before turning away from me. "So, I'll see you at Billy's tomorrow?"

"Yeah," he cleared his throat, "Jake invited all the pa- er, all the guys. You know we're like one big family here."

I left shortly after that, feeling like something was wrong. Embry was tense the rest of the day, making his temper unusually short. I made dinner almost as soon as I got home, then started on the dessert I'd be bring to the Black's tomorrow. I made chocolate whoopie pies with mint crème filling for the party, and even made Jake a mini chocolate lava cake just for himself – since his birthday had been Friday. I may have been mad at him, but I wasn't going to make things uncomfortable for everyone and besides, Grandma Swan had always insisted on following social graces.

Before I knew it, a whole day had gone by, and it was time for the Black's Christmas party. I'd have been lying if I said I wasn't nervous about seeing Jacob again. After all, the last time he saw me, he'd nearly given me an orgasm on Sue's front porch. Would he try to get me alone again, and more importantly, did I secretly want him to? I shook the thought from my head, telling myself to stay near Seth or Embry and everything would be fine.

The sentiment died nearly the second we'd stepped out of Sue's car and Quil's thunderous laughter reached my ears when Billy opened the front door to greet us – well, Charlie and Sue anyway. Seth, carrying the tray or whoopie pies, and Sue, who'd made her own dessert, moved towards the kitchen as Charlie went to grab a beer off the small table in the corner that served as the refreshment stand. "Hi, Billy," I smiled as cheerfully as I could, "is Jake here? I made this just for him, for his birthday," I clarified at the odd look he was giving me. "He's in his room, I think," the tribal leader finally answered, and I nodded and headed towards the small room I'd once known so well. "Jake," I called, knocking gently on the door before opening it. His back was to me as he finished buttoning up his white shirt, so I walked in and closed the door behind me. "I made you something," I told him, his back stiffening at my voice. "It's a mini chocolate lave cake. I remember how well you used to like them. Anyway," I moved to place the aluminum wrapped cake on his dresser and prepared to leave, "happy birthday, Jacob."

"Bella," he grabbed one of my wrists, "this can't be it for us. We used to be best friends," he stressed, his troubled eyes looking deeply into mine. "I loved you. I _still_ love you."

"Horse shit," I snapped out, pulling myself free of his touch. "I loved you too, Jake. Only when I came to tell you that, you informed me it didn't matter – that I didn't matter." Jacob called my name again softly, pleadingly, and a part of my defenses fell. "Sometimes I think about you, about how it could have been, and I think maybe I do still care about you." He smiled – _my smile_ from all those years ago, and I glared at him. "But then I remember how easy it was for you to toss me aside, and I get the fuck over it. Enjoy your cake, Jake."

I left his room, just barely stopping myself from slamming the door closed behind me. "Hey," Embry cooed into my ear as soon as the door was shut behind me, his voice almost inaudible amongst the festivities, "you ok?" I nodded, sagging against his frame. "Jake just wanted to rehash history is all…"

"Thought it might be something like that," he nodded. "He's been getting weird lately about you."

"Weird, how," I asked, dread pooling in my stomach.

"Possessive, I guess would be a better word for it. Him and Quil have almost come to blows a few times," he told me softly, "but when Seth or I ask what it's about they clam up and glare at each other."

"Maybe I should stay away from him then?"

Embry nodded, looking slightly appeased. "Look, Seth and I talked last night, and…" He stopped, looking at everyone around the room. "Just be ready for one of us to sneak you out later, alright?"

"Sure," I smiled, which quickly became a frown when he began to pull away. "Are you going somewhere?"

"Jake has an errand for me and Seth to run, apparently. We'll be back as soon as we can," he assured me, kissing my temple before pulling away and disappearing from my sight. Charlie was talking with Billy and Old Quil about fishing, and Sue was surrounded by a few of the older women. I also noticed Quil, surrounded by a group of equally muscular men, talking in a corner. I shook my head, thinking how wrong it was to look that good in real life – it was positively criminal. That's when I noticed Sam Uley and a native girl with an odd looking scar on one side of her face huddling together on the Black's couch, and Leah Clearwater glaring at them from acrossed the room. I stared at her for a while, concerned about the pain and anger that swam within her eyes. '_Fucking bitch,'_ I heard Leah's irate voice hissing within my head. '_She calls herself family – my fucking best friend – and then she steals him from me! Cousin my ass. If she'd had any kind of love for me at all, she would have fucked the tribal laws and told me the truth! Instead she let me believe for years that he left because I wasn't good enough for him.'_ Leah turned her face away and marched outside, her jaw clenching as she neared the Black's couch on her way out. Some sense of compassion tugged at my heart and urged me to go after her, which I did. Once outside, I didn't see her or any clue as to where she'd went. The really weird thing was the snow. Well, not that there was snow, it was December in Washington State after all. No, what I mean is, Leah's foot prints just seemed to vanish.

"Huh," I breathed out, confusion filling me. Still I stayed out there looking for something I might have missed, when my sharper than human hearing picked up the sound of a woman in distress several miles from the house. I weighed my options quickly before running towards the sound, which didn't take long at all. Truth be told, banshee's are fast – like slightly faster than vampires. I mean, they'd have to be to kill them, right? So why do I run every morning? First it helps me sleep better, and second, I'm practicing running human fast, not supernatural fast. So, when I say it didn't take long to run a few miles, I mean it took like 30 seconds to run five miles.

"Hello," I called out to the stalled car on the side of the road, where a clearly pregnant woman was trying to reverse it out of a snow mound, "do you need any help?" The native woman gasped in surprise and wiped the tears from her eyes as she rolled down the passenger window (the driver's side was blocked by the snow mound). "I was on my way to a party," she told me with a shaky voice, "my husband's there waiting on me. My cell phone's dead, and this stupid thing won't move!"

"It's alright," I assured her, as she was quickly becoming hysterical. "Why don't you try to drive it out, and I'll watch your wheels and see what the problem is. Most likely, you're probably not getting traction somewhere, alright?"

She smiled at me, her brown eyes full of hope as she thanked me. "I haven't done anything yet," I teased, moving some of the snow from the mound under the back tires before coming around to the front of the car. "Ok, here's the deal. Your car is front wheel drive, so even though your back tires are getting traction now, I'm going to give the front an extra push while you pull out. Got it?" She nodded, and pushed down on the gas pedal as I pushed against the hood of the car. Soon the car was free and on the road once more. The lady stopped the car to shift it back into drive when she rolled down her window. "Won't you get in? It's freezing outside." I smiled at her concern and told her my family was at a party up the road. "I'm going that direction anyway. Hop in, I'll give you a ride up the hill at least." I bit my lip, worried she might not take no for an answer. It wasn't good to upset pregnant women, right? She smiled as I got in, turning the heat up for me. "I'm Rachel, by the way. Rachel Lahoute."

I laughed, not surprised to receive an odd yet concerned look from her. "I'm sorry, it's just my dad is at your dad's party. Weird how the universe works."

"You're Bella Swan," she gasped. "As in Jake's Bells!"

"I haven't been Jake's anything in quite some time," I muttered sourly. Her face clouded in confusion as she shook her head. "I don't understand," she said softly, "the way he talks about you –"

"Maybe a long time ago-"

"No," she cut me off, "last night even. You should have heard him go after Embry, I thought he was going to kill him – and they've been friends forever!"

"Embry," I repeated startled, "he's alright though, right?"

"What," she asked distracted by her own thoughts. "Oh, yes, they heal quick after all. Oh, dear, I just don't get it. I was certain he imprinted, but then how can he stand to be away from you?"

"I'm sorry, imprinted," I asked. "And how can who stay away from me? Are you still talking about Jake?"

Rachel paled for a minute, then shook it off and pretended I hadn't said a thing as she parked the car behind Sue's. "Well, here we are," she smiled, nearly tripping on her feet getting away from me. I shook my head as well, trying to push the whole encounter behind me. I decided to walk around the property for a little bit before checking to see if Seth or Embry were back yet, and managed to stumble into the old garage where Jake and I spent so much time after the Cullen's left. It looked dustier than I remembered, with a tarp covering his old bike we'd fixed up together and another tarp covering what appeared to be an old broken-down car. A smile tugged at my lips, but the sinking feeling in my stomach forced it away. It looked as though Jacob didn't even come out here anymore, and I guess if he and Paul owned an actually garage somewhere on the reservation, he wouldn't have to.

I was so lost in my thoughts, I nearly shrieked when my cell phone began to ring. Laughing at myself, I reached into my back jean pocket and answered it. "What's up, bitch," I teased, having noticed it was Alisha's number. The sound of sniffling and a shaky breath greeted me, making any playfulness I felt vanish instantly. "Ally, what's wrong?"

"Oh, Bella," she wailed into the phone. "I…I… Oh, God, he…he…" One of the strongest women I'd ever met began to sob uncontrollable, and I felt myself losing control of my otherness. "Focus, Ally," I spoke to her softly, but firm, "what happened."

"Can you just come down here, B," she pleaded in a way that about broke my heart. "I don't want to be alone."

"Yeah," I agreed, telling her I'd drive as fast as I could. "Stay in your room and lock the door. I'll text you when I get off the elevator, alright?" I took a few deep breaths to help calm myself before going back into the Black's house. Neither Seth nor Embry were anywhere to be seen, so I told dad I was headed back to Seattle – nothing else – and rushed from the house. "Bells, wait," a masculine voice called after me as a hot, large hand grabbed my arm and swung me around. "If this is about earlier, I'm sorry," Jacob started, but I just pulled away.

"I don't have time for this now. Me leaving has nothing to do with you," I told him distractedly, still walking down the road towards Sue's house, where my car was currently parked.

"Sure, sure."

"You know what," I snapped out irritably, "think what you want. I still have to go, and you still need to leave me alone."

"No can do," he chirped out, following me down the road.

"Why not," I growled out in frustration, stopping on the spot so I could turn and face him.

"Because I love you," he groaned out just as frustrated. "I told you that! Why won't you believe me?"

"I don't know. Maybe because when it was me saying it you couldn't have cared less." I spun back around and walked faster towards my car at Sue's house.

"It wasn't like that," he exclaimed, running his fingers through his short hair as he jogged to catch up with me. "Oh," I countered, "then tell me, Jacob, what was it like?" "It was," he started, then stopped and huffed out a big impatient breath. "Why do you have to be so fucking difficult? I like you-"

"Oh, you just 'like' me now," I teased mercilessly, "did I get demoted?"

"No, I, er," he growled, then lunged forward, spun me around again and cashed his lips against mine. I was in shock by the mere act, and confused when my body began to react to his kiss and his touch. I even moaned softly when one of his hands went far enough down my back to pinch one of my lower cheeks. It took a moment for him to pull back, and I caught myself from whimpering in protest when he did. "I missed you, Bells," he whispered. "I know I was a douche and I have a lot to make up for, but I'm willing to try. Please, don't shut me out. I'm going crazy hearing about you from other people and not being a part of your life." His dark brown eyes were staring at me, full of sincerity and I felt myself giving in.

"Alright, Jake," I said, closing my eyes to fight off the headache I felt forming, "when I get back we can try to be friends – but that's all."

"Back," he asked, confused. "You're still leaving?"

"I told you it had nothing to do with you," I replied vaguely, then continued on my way to Sue's. Once there, I hoped in my car and drove like a bat out of hell all the way to Seattle. Along the way I tried to reach Embry or Seth, but ended up leaving voicemail messages for them both. I didn't know what was wrong with my friend, but I silently prayed that I wouldn't do anything I'd regret.


	10. Chapter 10

The Call

Chapter Ten

I made the trip from La Push to Seattle in forty-five minutes. To say I was speeding would have been a gross understatement, and the part of me that loved Charlie and respected his position as police chief cringed. The larger part of me was worried sick about my friend. I'd periodically been texting Alisha to inform her of my progress along the way, the last one having been sent a little over five minutes ago with no responds to any of them. I swallowed thickly, pushing down my growing sense of panic as I parked my car in the hotel's underground garage, grabbed my purse and proceeded to call Alisha's cell phone as I walked towards the garage elevator that would take me to the main lobby. I cursed under my breath when there was no answer and stepped into the elevator. Upon exiting, I approached the receptionist with slight hesitation and asked her to call Alisha's room – which there was again no answer. I then asked to speak with the night manager, who was a portly balding man with chubby, sausage-like fingers. He recognized me as Alisha's friend, and even as someone who occasionally spent the night with her, and readily agreed to accompany me to her room and let me in with his master key.

"I don't think Ms. Banks would mind your intrusion," he smiled kindly as we hopped off the elevator on the sixth floor and walked towards her room. "In fact, I rather think she'd have my head if she found out I'd turned you away." I returned his smile as best I could with my nerves acting up as they were. Halfway to her room and dread threatened to take over completely. The stench of death, not more than thirty minutes old, was coming faintly from somewhere. The second the manager opened the door (after knocking a few times with no responds) the smell intensified. Of course humans couldn't smell it yet, and so I pretended to be just as clueless as the man beside me was. I made certain I was the one that found her, her body crumpled on her bedroom floor with her limbs twisted in odd directions, and that I stayed with her while he left to call the police and waited in the lobby to lead them back up. I used those few moments to slip Alisha's netbook into my purse (it's where she kept any and all things important), and forced one of my fingernails into a talon to cut the sting around her neck which held a safety-deposit box key to the First National Bank in Tacoma (I was listed on the deposit box account as well and knew I'd have no problem removing whatever she may have left for me). I touched nothing else, having caught enough of the vampire's scent to track it anywhere already, and made sure I was sitting in the living room by the time the police arrived, looking greatly shell-shocked at that.

"Miss," a young office said, his voice so gently as if he thought I might break.

"Swan," I informed him slowly, making it appear as if I was having trouble coping with the current situation, "Isabella Swan."

"The singer," he gasped, his blue eyes brightening as his worried expression turned to one of elation. 'Just what I needed, a fan,' I thought wearily as I nodded. "Alisha is… was my manager."

"That the vict – er – that the girl's name?"

"Alisha Banks," I repeated slowly, taking a deep breath as the officer sat on the couch next to me while his older partner went into the bedroom. "She called me about an hour ago real upset. Asked me to come down tonight. She was hysterical, so I agreed."

"Was she hysterical a lot," blue eyes asked. I shook my head. "She is – was one of the strongest women I knew. Ally knew I was spending some time with my dad, Charlie, she wouldn't have called if she didn't feel she needed to. She was scared of someone (or something rather), I don't know who (not yet anyway)."

After asking for my number in case they had any further questions, I was free to leave. Ditching my car in the parking garage for the moment (with my purse containing what I'd taken from Alisha's room locked safely inside), I took off on foot and began tracking the vampiric filth that had taken my best friend from me. I could feel a burning rage building in me, growing as my heart seemed to slow. It was almost like the more my rage ruled me the less I could feel at all. It should have scared me, or at least been alarming, but in my current state all I wanted was revenge for my friend. Anything that would get in the way of that was quickly shut out. I ran at full banshee speed, knowing no camera would be able to pick up more than a flicker, and after a few hours stumbled upon a whole nest of new borns. The old stench of the two vamps I'd killed when Seth and I had last been in town clung to the place, leading me to believe the dirty-blond male had been teaching the dark-haired female to hunt. Hunting was one thing, braking into a hotel room was quiet another. It was too risky to be normal vampire behavior, so why had they done it?

"The time has nearly come," a feminine voice that tinkled like bell chimes spoke. I crouched down in the ally outside, peering the best I could into the basement widow without giving myself away. "Soon we will attack the yellow-eyes that keep us confined and hidden in the shadows. Soon the world will be our feeding ground whenever and wherever we please!"

I still couldn't see the speaker clearly, but her words made my heart squeeze painfully. The "yellow-eyes" she'd said. Could she have meant the Cullens? Was this nest of new borns going to Forks? My throat burned as I thought of Charlie and the other public servants being slaughter trying to protect the citizens of Forks. I had to do something, but was I strong enough to take on a whole coven? I closed my eyes and forced any remaining emotions away, mentally saying good-bye to Seth and Embry and even Jacob. With a deep breath, I slipped through the basement window and landed feet first on a pile of stacked crates. I clapped my hands, looking as bored as possible, and inwardly cringed the moment twenty sets of red eyes glared towards me. "Bravo," I said with a yawn. "That was positively motivating," I taunted, my stomach launching itself into my throat when I finally saw who'd been talking. "Icky Vicky, is that you?"

She growled at me, the amount of sheer hatred in her ruby eyes was astounding. In that second a picture began to snap together in my mind, much like a puzzle. "This isn't about the Cullens, is it?" I remembered the vampires that had nearly attacked Seth, and now Alisha was dead. "This is because of me." The smug smile that tugged at her lips was all the proof I needed. "The Cullens aren't even in Washington, haven't been for years. But then," I said, finally catching on, "neither have I. So, what? You planned to killed the ones I loved so I'd come running back and you could finish me off as well?"

"Something like that," she conceded with a quick nod. "Yet here you are, the lamb to the fucking slaughter." Her pale face hardened even more as she continued to glare. "You took everything I ever cared about from me-"

"No," I corrected, "Edward did. Edward and the Cullens killed James, I just survived him. He was psychotic, you know that, right? He broke my leg and then bit my arm. He was going to turn me."

"Liar," she screeched, crouching down to attack me. I just smiled and pulled my sweater's sleeve down to expose the bite mark on my wrist. Her eyes widened comically as she shook her head. "No," she hissed a few times, "no."

"Seems like your pursuit in revenge has been nothing but a waste of time," I jeered, clucking my tongue against the roof of my mouth. "Such a pity, and now, you've not only sentenced yourself to death, but all these miscreants as well."

"Death," she snapped out harshly, coming back to herself, "we are immortal."

"No," I disagreed, my body slowly being taken over by my rage once more, "you are unnatural, and must be destroyed for the sake of every living thing." She grinned at me, a feral sight with her gleaming teeth shining in the fluorescent lighting. "And who's going to stop us little girl? You!" She and her vampires laughed, but I merely smiled and looked about me, planning my next move. The entire room was littered with papers and wooden crates and the remains of beer cans. I smirked when I realized what a fire hazard it actually was. If only I could find a lighter or something, as mine was currently locked in my car inside my purse, I could end this whole thing – the danger anyone around me was unknowingly in, the mysterious 'gang violence' the Seattle news reported almost nightly, all of it.

I could see what would happen if I died here tonight – all the slaughtered bodies of the ones I loved, all because I wasn't strong enough. The rage within me was building, and then suddenly it was bursting out of me, or rather out of my hands. Huge white flames engulfed the entire area surrounding me, cremating any vampire it touched instantly, giving them no time to escape the basement before their untimely end. When the screams finally ceased was when the fire receded back inside of me, my breathing labored as I fell to my knees and my eyes wide open as I looked at my seemingly normal looking hands. "Well, that's new," I whispered with a shaky breath before laughing hysterically at what had just happened. It took a few minutes to pull myself together and return to my car in the hotel parking garage.

Sitting in my car, my eyes landed on my purse and refused to look away as I thought of how I'd never again speak to my manager and best friend. There was so much that needed to be done, but I knew her family would handle all of that. The only thing I could do for her now was get to Tacoma and empty out her deposit box before the police found out it existed. Shaking my head to clear it of my emotional distress, I buckled my seatbelt and pulled out of the garage and headed towards the interstate, taking Tacoma's turn off and got a room at a crappy motel that took cash, had no cameras, and didn't require identification and waited for the morning. As soon as the bank opened, I was there and gone not even two minutes later, closing the deposit box account (which had only contained an old leather bound book) and slipped the teller a little extra to delete the account entirely. She grinned at the ten thousand cash I handed her and winked with a "never even saw you" smile as I left. I drove back towards Forks, calling both Seth and Embry to say I'd be stopping by Port Angeles for a late lunch if they wanted to join me (I still hadn't heard from them since the party), and then called Charlie to say I'd be home within an hour or two. "Just going to do some quick shopping in Port Angeles," I told him in a forced cheery voice I knew he'd see though in a New York minute.

I was just finishing my fish and fries basket I'd ordered at a seafood place on the warf, when I caught the sound of three females in distress. I sighed, wondering if it was your local dirt bags or –giving how cloudy it was – if it was something more sinister. "You smell good," a voice hissed at the women, "but your unborn will taste sweeter."

'That answers that question,' I frowned, throwing away my trash and rushing off to save the young damsels. "That's no way to talk to a little mama," I sassed out before fully taking in the situation. All I knew was that three women needed my help from one undead prick, I didn't take in the fact that I knew these girls – or at least one of them – before I spoke.

"Bella," Rachel Lahote's voice asked, shaking with fear. "We're ok," she urged me in a 'save yourself' tone of voice. I shook my head stubbornly. "Listen, pencil dick," I growled out at the leech, "whatever you have in mind, these girls aren't interested. I suggest you move along while you still can."

"Finally," the bald-headed vampire purred, "some little sweet thing with some fire in her! I bet you're a great lay. You smell so good," he moaned, "better than any of them."

"That's right," I cooed. "So why don't you let them go and you and me can have some one on one time?" He stared to shiver with excitement and I just knew the girls were looking on with horrified expression (though I wasn't chancing a glance away from sparkles for even a second to actually see it). "Bella," Rachel whispered desperately, "please don't."

"I want you. I want you. I want you," the muscle bound goon before us repeated as quickly as an elementary student on a sugar rush. "Sweet dessert," he moaned. "But first, the entrée," he grinned rushing towards the Quileute girls. The rage within me began to bubble up inside again, and I snarled as fire rush from me to consume him," sorry, that wasn't an option."

The girls stood there, eyes widen as they stared disbelieving at me. "What are you," the one with scars on one side of her face gasped out in awe. "How long have you been able to do that," the other girl whispered, equally as shocked. "Does Jacob know," Rachel asked, her hand protectively covering her unborn child.

I shook my head 'no'. "It happened for the first time last night, in Seattle," I explained. "I wasn't even sure I could call it back up again to kill that tick, but I had to try."

"You know about vampires," the unknown girl gasped out again, and I nodded. "I use to date one in high school. I thought he loved me once…" I looked away, not wanting to reveal what becoming a banshee had shown me. It had cleared away all the deceit the Cullens had surrounded themselves with and exposed that Edward had manipulated me into thinking I was in love with him, when in fact I was never anything more than a plaything to any of them.

"And now," the scar-faced girl asked tentatively.

"Let's just say absence doesn't always make a heart grow fonder."

"Sometimes it just grows forgetful," Rachel nodded.

"Sometimes it just gets pissed off," I added with a growl.

"Bella," Rachel asked cautiously, stepping towards me slowly, "what happened to you while you were gone. Are you still, you know… human?"

"Of course I am," I snapped out, swallowing nervously as I looked away. "I'm human… with a little extra added."

Rachel looked at the girls beside her, their eyes conveying a secret conversation I couldn't begin to decipher. "I think we need to talk," she said with a stubborn lithe to her voice. Rachel Black – now Lahoute – had never been one to be refused easily. I nodded slowly, following the girls (that Rachel introduced as Emily – Sam Uley's fiancée – and Kim – Jared's (whoever the hell that was) girlfriend. Rachel led us to a Starbuck's and we each ordered a sugary-caffeinated concoction before sitting down at one of the back tables. "What are you," Emily re-asked her question from earlier.

"As I said," I replied, eyes narrowed, "I'm human."

"But not completely," Kim interrupted.

"The correct term is banshee. I kill vampires, as you saw. I don't hurt innocent people though," I clarified while leaving a few things out. "I save them whenever I can. Sometimes I can't though. The fact that I'm still learning about what I can do –"

"Like the fire," Emily rushed out.

"Like the fire," I agreed. "It limits what I can do. I mean, now I have to worry anytime I get worked up I might burst into flames or worse – set someone else on fire."

"But you're good," Rachel asked, biting her bottom lip.

"I try to be," I replied honestly.

"Tell us more," she urged, and taking a deep breath and looking around to make sure no one was listening in, I told the three Quileutes most of the things about being a banshee.


	11. Chapter 11

The Call

Chapter Eleven

It was nearing three o'clock when I finally made it back to the Clearwater-Swan house in La Push, and found the place empty. Sue was at the clinic, Charlie had been cleared for work early (but only if he promised to remain behind a desk until after the New Year), and Seth was… Well, he wasn't there. I checked his room and was relieved to find his bed a crumpled mess with the sheets just slightly warmer than the room itself. Where ever he was now, he'd been here no less than an hour ago. I sighed trying not to become paranoid. Seth and Embry weren't avoiding me, they did have lives outside our relationship or arrangement or whatever the hell it was. I took a shower, throwing my dirty clothes into a trash bag to burn later (the smell of burnt leech was impossible to completely wash away) and thoroughly fabreezed the house to kill any remaining odors. All that was left for the remaining two and a half hours it would take for Sue and Charlie to get home was to go through Alisha's things. Swallowing, I tried to turn on her netbook, only to find its battery entirely drained. I cursed under my breath, and plugged it into my netbooks adaptor to charge, thankful they were the same model – just different colors. (Alisha's had been a special ordered metallic pink, and mine was the default grey color.) My attention then turned to the leather bound book she'd tucked away at the Tacoma bank. It looked old. Hell, it smelled old. Sitting down on my bed, I dragged the book into my lap and opened it only to discover some undistinguishable hieroglyphs and squiggle marks. A frustrated frown pulled at my lips and my brows lowered in confusion. 'Why would she hide this,' I wondered to myself as I stared at the page.

It was then something incredible happened. The pictures and squiggles began to reshape into words that I just knew instinctively only a banshee's eyes could read. "Alisha," I sighed out in wonder, "where did you get this? How did you get this?"

The answer was no more than three paragraphs away. This was the diary for Alisha's great-great-great-great-great-great aunt, Blair Livingston. She'd belonged to a well-to-do family that lived in Virginia in the 1890s. All her life she'd been treated as an object (as was common in those days), causing her to detest and thoroughly embarrass any male caller that dare darken her family's door seeking her hand. To punish her, Blair's father, Jedidiah, had force her to work around the house with the servants and even sleep in their courters until she begged forgiveness for her transgressions. Instead of loneliness and despair, Blair had fallen madly in love with one of the male servants that worked the family's fields. His name was Elijah, and his mother, Harriet, was the servant responsible for Blair during her punishment – she was staying in their home and eating meals at their table. Basically Blair and Elijah spent a lot of down time together. It took nearly two months for a stuttering, blushing Elijah to admit he 'cared for her'. Always a very forward person, Blair's responds had been to kiss him, and – according to her account – they were inseparable for almost a year after that. Soon after their year of secret courtship was over, they began planning their wedding. Both knew Jedidiah Livingston would forbid it, and both agreed they'd have to keep it secret and sneak away soon after their honeymoon. Harriet had been too excited however, and her happy chatter about her son's upcoming nuptials was overheard by Blair's father; whose responds was to send a lynch mob after poor Elijah. Her father made her watch as the only man she'd ever loved was strangled to death on a rope, his body flopping as he gasped for breath. Her grief was inconsolable, and her self-loathing over her weakness to save him was absolute. She'd turn into a banshee then, hunting down her father and everyone involved in her beloved's demise.

'_A banshee is created_,' Blair had written, '_when a virtuous heart filled with the deepest, purest of loves is shattered beyond recognition, beyond any hope of ever being restored…_'

The rest of the diary was her account of being a banshee along with talents and stories of others she'd come across along the years. The book was thick and contained almost a hundred years of information before she'd stopped writing. _'I had once thought a banshee's heart could never be restored_,' her last entry read. _'I now know this to be false. My frozen heart was thawed, and I once again find myself in love with a human man. He is no Elijah, but then no one could ever be. John loves me truly, even after I revealed what I am, and I find myself wanting to be a better person for him, wanting to be completely human for him. Over the century that I have lived, I have learned there is a way for this to happen. A way to strip away my otherness and be mortal once more. Tonight, after our wedding vows, I intend to be banshee no longer, and to simply be a wife.'_

My heart stopped at this information, my head already swimming with everything that I'd read. There was a way to not be a banshee anymore? I closed my eyes thinking what that would mean for me and for my boys. Would it be better for me to be as I was or as I currently am? It was something to think about, perhaps something to discuss further down the road – that is, if they still wanted a future with me. I growled at my pessimistic thought and got up, hiding the book in my empty duffle bag, grabbed a coat, and headed out towards the beach to clear my head.

Instead of becoming clearer, my mind clouded even more with all the information I'd read. Not just the fact that I might be able to become human again, but the talents and exercise drills to better control those talents. Blair had warned there were two paths for every banshee: one of love and light, and one of wrath and darkness. Certain talents would only manifest in certain kinds of banshees. For instance, the _White Heat_, as Blair referred to it, or the fire that came from my hands to kill the vampires in Seattle, actually came from rage and was considered a dark banshee gift. (Well, Blair actually classified it as a gift for a strong banshee, but a dark talent just the same.) This didn't mean I was evil, it just meant I needed to watch my emotions more carefully. After all, according to the book, all talents were driven from a banshee's emotions. It even said that with practice, I could strengthen my ability to hear sorrow and despair into being able to read a person's mind – no matter the thought. Wouldn't that be nice? To no longer have to wonder if someone was avoiding me, I could pluck the thought from their own head. I chuckled to myself, remembering the times I'd envied Edward Cullen for his ability, and now it seemed I'd be able to do it myself.

"What's so funny," a masculine voice called.

I couldn't help the truly happy smile that pulled at my lips – at least someone wanted to see me. "Jacob," I called back, walking the short distance towards where he sat on what use to be 'our tree'. "Oh," I bit my bottom lip in thought when he lifted his brow, clearly waiting for an answer. "Well, you see, I haven't seen or heard from Embry or Seth since last night. I've texted them and left messages, but nothing. So I was kind of laughing at my own paranoia that they might be avoiding me," I said softly, looking awkwardly towards the ground.

"Forget about them," he said, a warm, sunny smile – _my smile_ – lightening up his face. It had been years since I'd seen that look on his face, and I'd forgotten the effect it had on me. My heart stuttered a bit in my chest, my stomach fluttered nervously, and my legs shook slightly as my knees weakened. "Come with me, Bells," Jacob offered quickly, one overly warm arm already draping itself acrossed my shoulders and began leading me in the direction of his house. "We'll go to the Taj and grab a couple of warm cokes, just like old times. I'm sure there's some form of trouble we can get into."

I laughed at his words, walking a little faster than normal to keep in step with his long-legged strides. "That actually sounds nice, Jake," I replied, swept up in his infectious good mood. "Hey," I asked with a slight frown halfway to the Black's garage, "why aren't you wearing a coat, or at least a shirt? Aren't you cold? You're going to get pneumonia going out in nothing but cargo shorts."

He shrugged off my concern, a teasing smirk on his lips. "I'm sure you've noticed by now, Bells, I'm pretty hot." I rolled my eyes as he laughed at his own joke. "Really though, I'm fine," he rushed to assure me. "I can barely stand to wear shorts in the summer," he teased. "At least let me get some comfort in the winter."

"As long as you won't get sick," I double checked. Jacob shook his head and I relented with a deep sight. "Alright," I agreed, "I won't harass you about being underdressed."

"So what's going on with you, Seth, and Embry," he questioned lightly, his back turned away as he bent down and pulled two cans of coke out of a familiar brown paper bag. "They told me their side," he informed me, tossing me one of the cans, his face lighting up with mild surprise when I actually caught it, "but I'd like to hear yours."

"Well," I cleared my throat and moved to sit down on one of the old wooden crates that still littered the garage floor, popping the top of my can open as I did, "I'm not sure there's much to tell."

"Do you like them," he pushed, sitting beside me, "because they say you do. They say you guys all…love each other, that they impr–" This time Jacob stopped and cleared his throat.

"I love them, Jake," I replied looking straight into his eyes. "It's the strangest thing really. I only dated one guy after I left Forks, he was a real piece of work." I bit my lip and thought about my word phrasing very carefully. "I thought my heart was broken, that it didn't work anymore. Hell, I even thought maybe I wasn't worth loving at all." Jacob sighed my name out in concern, but I shook my head. I needed to say this. I needed at least one living person to know the emotional rollercoaster going on inside me. "Then I met Seth, quite by accident actually. He was worked up over some girl in the rez market that was just trying to make him jealous, so I kissed him. I didn't know who he was until after we kissed, and I'm not exactly sure even now why I kissed him. It was like – I don't know – like I was drawn to him or something. He avoided me for a while after he found out I was his step-sister, and who could blame him? But in the end, he followed me to Seattle when I left for a few days. Apparently having me too far away made him anxious." I smiled softly at my wording, as it was the same thing Edward Cullen had once told me those few years ago.

I took the time to obverse Jacob's expressions. His body was rigid, but then he was overly large and perched on an old milk crate. His shoulders were hunched, his hands clasped together with his elbows on his knees. His face was tense, however. His eyes clouded over in thought, his brows drawn down unpleasantly with a slight scowl on his face. "And Embry," his voice nearly growled out. "How did you get with him?"

"It was a favor to Seth," I stated, my eyes widened when Jacob's head snapped towards me, a murderous expression on his face. "Not like that," I clarified quickly. "Seth was supposed to help Embry clean up the shop when we got back from Seattle, but he had finals to study for, so I offered to go instead. Things with Embry… they just clicked."

"And if you had to choose one?"

"I don't think I could," I said slowly, thinking it over in my head. "Each one is a part of me in their own special way. I could no more choose between Seth or Embry than I could choose whether to breathe or not."

"What if there was another choice," Jacob asked almost desperately, licking his lips as he ran his fingers through his short black hair. "Could you forget them and move on, Bells?"

"Jake," I started cautiously, standing up when he did, his eyes dark and wild as he took me in.

"I love you," his words all but burned me as he walked closer to me. I mirrored his steps backwards until my back was against the garage wall. "Fuck, you have no idea how much I love you. No idea how much the thought of anyone else touching you kills me. You're killing me, Bella!" Jacob was toe to toe with me now, his breath labored as he looked at me, his hands rising only to be placed beside me so that his arms blocked any path of escape. "I know you still love me," he whispered. "I felt it when you kissed me last night before you left. I waited for you," he told me, leaning down to talk directly into my left ear. "I never saw anyone but you, Bells. Not me or my wo…" He pulled back to look at me again, then quickly crashed his lips against mine. He wasn't lying, I did still care about him – at least I did if that's what the fire currently erupting through my veins meant.

My body took on a life of its own. My arms circled around his neck, my legs hitched up around his waist. One of Jacob's hands was firmly on my bottom, holding our clothed sexes against each other's as we thrust mindlessly. Our tongues dueled the others fiercely, the little growling noises released from Jacob's throat only served to make my core that much wetter. "Jacob," I hissed out as my eyes rolled back before I tensed with pleasure and finally grew slack.

"Fuck," he snarled out, ejaculating into his shorts as his member rubbed against my jean-clad core. He turned his head, drawing in deep breaths against my neck as if he were smelling me, pulling back only when his breathing evened out. "Bells, I knew you'd feel good, but I had no idea…"

Slowly I slipped down his body, Jacob groaned as I brush against his sensitive member along the way. I pushed him away slightly – only an inch or two – once I was safely on the ground. "Don't worry," he cooed softly, his eyes becoming heavy with the weight of his release, "I'll tell the guys it's over. You won't have to do a thing, Bells."

I laughed in mild hysterics. "Excuse you," I snapped. "Nothing's over."

"But, I thought," he started, growling in frustration. "But we just-"

"And I'm sorry if it gave you the wrong impression, but I told you earlier – I can't choose between them."

"What about me then, Bella," he snarled, his eyes dark, yet tired.

"Obviously I care about you a lot," I started unable to say the L word to him yet. "I'd like to be with you, but you have to learn to share-"

"Share," he roared. "I'm the fucking alpha, I don't share shit!"

"Ok," I replied slowly, a little confused by his words. "Then this can't happen again." His eyes glowed a golden hue at the firmness of my tone, a soft whimper leaving his throat. "Maybe," he started his voice weak, his face pained, "maybe I could try to share…for you."

I smiled softly, pulling him into a quick hug. "That's all I'll ask, Jake," I whispered to him.

"But," he started again as I pulled away and started for the door, "I want to be there, your first time with them."

"What?" I turned to face him, but his eyes were firmly on the ground.

"You haven't fucked them yet, right? I want to be there when you do. I want to be there every time you give yourself to someone, Bella," he said more assertively, "but I'll start with this."

"So let me get this straight," I huffed out. "The first time I have sex with them – the first time I have sex with more than one person – I'm supposed to do it with three guys now? How is that even going to work, Jake?"

"Trust me, Bells," he looked up at me, his eyes yellow and glowing and his teeth looking sharper than usual through his wicked grin, "we'll figure something out."

I nodded my head as I turned away, not really certain what it was I'd just agreed to.


	12. Chapter 12

The Call

Chapter Twelve

The next few days went by at a dizzying rate. Alisha's parents had called me and asked if I'd sing at my friend's funeral, which I immediately agreed. I owed so much to her, and this was the first gesture I was going to make. I didn't, however, want to go alone, but since I still couldn't reach Seth or Embry, I called Rachel instead. She and Kim both had to stay, (she ran her own boutique on the rez) but Emily graciously agreed to accompany me. "All I ever do is cook and clean before cooking again. I've become a housewife without the kids or even being married," she sighed sadly as she gazed out the passenger window on our way towards Seattle. We'd be catching a flight from there to Miami, Florida, where the Banks's lived. "Sometimes I feel like…" she stopped and looked at me wearily. "No, I shouldn't say."

"I won't repeat anything," I offered weakly, figuring if she really wanted me to know she'd tell me.

"Well, Sam was dating Leah when we got together," she admitted, her face blushing with embarrassment. "I loved Leah so much," she rushed out, "you have to understand that. We're cousins, but she was more like a sister then… now she can't even look at me." She sighed again, and I could feel her despair filling the car so strongly it was almost suffocating. "Sam didn't have a choice but to be with me," she whispered while silent tears fell down her cheeks, "and – despite what they say – I didn't really have a choice either. I tried to talk to Leah, to explain, but there was so much I couldn't tell her then. So much I wished she'd never have learned… There was a way Sam use to look at me in the beginning, as if I were the moon itself," Emily bit her lip, her glazed over dark eyes still looking out the window, even as I took her hand to offer what little comfort I could. "That look is gone, Bella. Sometimes, when he doesn't know I'm watching him, he looks at me like he hates me! It's never long enough for others to notice, because of the pain that thought causes him –"

"What, pain? What are you talking about Emily?" I was trying desperately to understand her problem, but the more she talked the more confused I became. I could feel her hesitance, and remembered her saying she hadn't been allowed to tell Leah what she had wanted to. "Is this a tribe thing," I pressed. "I won't tell anyone you told me, Em. I just want to help you, but I can't if I don't even know what you're talking about."

"They're wolves," she blurted out so quickly I thought I must have misunderstood. "They're wolves, Bella. Sam and the other overly fit mountain-shaped men, they shape shift into wolves."

"Oh," I said, feeling more than a little unintelligent. Wait, did that mean Seth and Embry, even Jacob..? _'I'm the alpha_,' he'd said to me the day before. Jacob Black, the alpha wolf… Had he ordered Seth and Embry away? I swallowed as I recalled the way their eyes would flash to a golden-yellow sometimes, the way the guys seemed to smell me, the growling noises they'd make, their heat…

"Sam imprinted on me –"

"Wait, like a baby alligator type thing," I asked, skeptically. Emily laughed softly, some of her tension easing. "Sort of. I mean, he fell for me at first glance. Well, first glance after he started shifting anyway. I, of course, didn't want anything to do with him. I thought any man that would sneak behind their girlfriend's back to date their cousin had to be sleazy. But the imprint bond, it made his wolf restless and Sam became more determined. Like stalker determined… He told me everything, about his wolf, the imprint, how being away from me literally hurt him. I didn't believe him and sent him away."

"What happened?" We were pulling into the long term parking lot, and I wasn't certain if Emily'd keep talking once we were around other people.

"He phased – er, shifted right there. He was too close to me, and," she pointed to her face and winced as my eyes widened. "It was an accident, which is what we told the hospital. Only Sam said it was a bear instead of him for obvious reasons. After that, I stayed close to him and Sam always made me feel loved. Then Leah phased. I don't know if it's because he has her thoughts in his head all day or what, but since then I can feel him pulling away. Sam hates me, I know it."

"I'm sure he doesn't," I smiled, parking the car and turning it off. "You said he imprinted –"

"The wolf imprinted," she corrected, wiping her tears away, "the wolf still wants me, but the man… I think he still loves Leah, loves her more than me even. I think he blames me for her pain and – Oh God, at times, I honestly think he wishes I were dead."

"I'm sure that's not true," I attempted to console her again. "Maybe this time away will be good for both of you?" She nodded at that as we exited the car, grabbed our overnight bags, and headed for our terminal.

We remained quiet through the flight and even the drive from the Miami Airport to my house in the city. I knew it was because we were both lost in our own thoughts, and I wanted to give Emily as much space as she needed. Upon entering the house, I saw a note from Alisha's mother on the kitchen bar with Alisha's spare key by it. The note simply state that she'd removed her daughter's things and had called a cleaning service a few days prior so the place would be dust free when I arrived. I swallowed thickly as I thought of the funeral service the next day, and led Emily to the spare room that had its own private bathroom. "Let me know when you get hungry," I told her along the way. "We can either go out or call in. I'll be packing up some stuff if you need me. Hopefully I'll be putting this place on the market before we head back to Forks."

"You're really moving there," she questioned with a bit of apprehension.

I nodded. "I'm not needed here. Mom has Phil – and they're moving to Boston in three weeks anyway. All I have is dad. Well, and whatever is going on with Seth and Embry –"

"And Jake and Quil," Emily added, looking away from me. "It's an imprint bond, Bella. If you…" She stopped, looking conflicted, but finally pressed onward. "If you don't think you can be with them, then don't go back, Bella. Run as far as you can. Imprinting can be wonderful, but it can destroy lives too."

"Seth and Embry are wonderful," I defended.

"And Jake and Quil?"

"Jacob is a bit possessive and persistent," I admitted. "Hold on, what's this about Quil?"

"I shouldn't tell you this," she mumbled, "but I've ignored the rules so far. Quil imprinted on you that day you and 'Bry went to lunch. He's been fighting it because Embry showed everyone through the pack mind what Quil did to you before you left. Jacob went ballistic because he hurt you – but also because he was your first – and alpha ordered, er, commanded him to stay away from you. It hurts his wolf to obey, but he can't go against a command. No wolf can."

"Did Jake order Seth and Embry away from me too?"

She nodded, then looked away. "He thought if he kept them away long enough, you wouldn't want them anymore. He doesn't understand a multiple imprint, since it's never happened before."

"Do you think this – multiple imprinting – has something to do with what I am," I asked, feeling slightly overwhelmed.

"I don't know," she shrugged, "maybe. I mean, we've never heard of a banshee before either." I smiled soft as I started to turn. "Hey, Em, were you serious about feeling dissatisfied with your life?"

"Yeah," she replied, looking at me curiously, "why?"

"Well, I'm retiring from singing next year, but I still have a few contractual agreements to fulfil," I explained. "How would you feel about being a temporary manager? I could walk you through it if you have any problems."

"This is something you could really handle yourself, isn't it?" Her dark eyes gazed at me, and I nodded truthfully. She smiled then, told me I was 'sweet' and agreed. "It will get me out of the house at least."

"Great, we start recording next week in Seattle," I told her, before leaving her to her own thoughts. I started going through the house, piling things in one corner to keep and another to get rid of until I could go out later for boxes. I called dad to tell him I was safe, called Seth and Embry to tell them I loved and missed them, called Jacob to tell him we needed to meet up (I avoided the word 'talk' as I didn't want to send out any red flags) when I got back, and then I (hesitantly) called Quil. He was the only one to actually answer his phone, and I honestly wasn't expecting it. I almost hung up when his deep timber sounded in my ear. "Hello?"

"Hey, Quil, it's –"

"Bells," he sighed out in relief.

"Yeah." I fell silent, not sure what to say. "Please keep talking," he begged, sounding pained by my silence. "I'm in Miami for a funeral right now," I told him. "Emily's with me."

"Young?"

"Yeah. Anyway, I should be back in three or four days. I thought maybe we could talk?"

"I'd love to," he told me, "but I can't."

Huh, I'd almost forgot the order Emily had relieved Jake had put on him and Seth and Embry to stay away from me. "Maybe you could tell me your schedule then, and I might happen to bump into you sometime?"

He laughed at that, and told me every Saturday at nine in the morning he went to Second Beach to watch the tide. "Really? Alright then. Maybe I might wonder that way sometime."

"That'd be great, Bells," He murmured, sensing the end of our conversation, but not wanting me to go.

"Bye Quil," I whispered before disconnecting the call. What the hell did Jacob think he was doing to these guys – his friends –by ordering them away from me? How could he willingly hurt them like that? I huffed out a frustrated breath and went to take a quick shower. It was close to six o'clock, and I knew Emily had to be half starved. I volunteered to run out and pick something up, stopping by a general store along the way to get some boxes before picking up our order at Applebee's and heading back to the home. Emily all but devoured her order of ribs and fries, moaning in delight every once in a while. "Do you have any idea how longs it's been since I ate something I didn't have to fix myself?"

I smiled, glad she was in a better mood than she was earlier. I was actually reluctant to open the topic that wouldn't seem to leave me be. "So, the guys," I started, clearing my throat, "how much pain are they in?"

"It depends on how long they've been away from you and the physical distance. We're on the other side of the states, so right now, pretty bad. When you were at La Push, it wasn't as physically painfully as it was emotionally. Quil is a special case," she said, her lips pulling down into a frown as she thought about how to phrase things. "He loved you before he was a wolf, truly from the first moment he met you, Bella. The only reason he stayed away was out of respect for his friendship with Jacob. Then Jacob phased and wasn't allowed around either of you, Quil felt he could act on his feeling, but he didn't know how you felt. After he phased, his mind was like a void to the other wolves when it came to you. No one knew how close you two had become, or how much he cared. When Sam ordered him to leave you alone until he could better control his wolf, he became darker, more serious about everything. The day you left, it was like a part of him had died."

"Then I came back," I stated softly.

"Yes," she nodded, "and he was determined not to hurt you anymore than he already had. He hadn't planned on running into you that day – or ever, really. But when he looked into your eyes and imprinted, he didn't know what to do. He told Jake, which was apparently the wrong decision, as he ordered him to stay away."

"But how can he do that to his friends? Hell, if the imprint is so powerful, how can he do that at all?"

"Your imprints haven't been solidified yet, Bella," she explained softly. "If Jacob tried to order Sam away from me, the order wouldn't take because I've accepted the imprint fully."

"But how-"

"Sex," she cut me off. "To fully accept the imprint, you must have sex with your wolves. Afterward, any command Jake gives them concerning you becomes optional."

I looked at her for a long time, allowing her words to fully sink in. Then, I nodded, excused myself, and retired to bed. I had a funeral performance to give in the morning and a lot of information to mull over before returning to Washington. I sighed to myself in frustration as I stripped away my clothes and slipped into bed.


	13. Chapter 13

The Call

Chapter Thirteen

The next morning was hectic to say the least. Both Emily and I slipped on our black knee-length dresses (it was Miami, winter or not), packed what we would need into my red Camaro and drove off towards the funeral home. Mr. and Mrs. Banks where already there, as was Hailey and (her now fiancé) Evan Masters. I nodded to them cordially, but refused to say much more for obvious reasons. Mrs. Banks and I talked alone for a few minutes about when I was to go on, and I mentioned dedicating my last album to her daughter. "I was thinking of switching gears, like Alisha wanted. I was hoping to open some kind of fund in her name that her managerial proceeds could go to."

"That's a great idea," her mother beamed at me. "I know she'd like that."

"The problem is, I'm not really sure where she'd like the money to go to most."

Mrs. Banks nodded her head. "I do. It was before your time with her, so I'm certain she would never have mentioned it. In high school she had a bit of a problem with her self-image. She had this absurd idea that she was never enough – always too fat or too pale or hair too straight, you know. She became anorexic a few months later. It was hell to get over, since the problem really was all in her mind – her perception of herself. I think Alisha would like to help other girls to never feel that way."

"That's nice," I agreed, knowing exactly how it could feel to not be enough. Dating Edward Cullen, I had literally been surrounded by perfection for nearly two years. We agreed to let the family lawyer work out the details, and I hurried back to Emily's side.

"I think I should go home soon," she whispered as I sat down beside her. "I can feel how anxious Sam is through our bond, which means it's got to be pretty bad."

"Do you want to call him?" She shook her head, her fingers playing with her dress hem nervously. "Do you want me to call him," I pressed, to which she smiled gratefully.

"Would you?"

I sighed, stood back up and walked out to the hallway before dialing her house number. "Emily," Sam's voice called over the line.

"Bella," I corrected. "We're at the funeral now, she's fine," I reassured. "She says she wants to come home directly afterwards." He muttered something that sounded like 'thank God' under his breath. "Look, I know this isn't my place, but Emily's my friend and I have to say something."

"About what," he replied gruffly.

"She was crying all the way from the reservation to Seattle about how she thinks you hate her."

"That's ridiculous," he all but snarled.

"Whether it's ridiculous isn't the point," I snapped back. "It's what she feels, and you need to figure out how to fix it alright. I don't want to come back to the rez only to find her more miserable than when she left with me, got it?"

There was a tense moment when I thought he would yell at me or tell me off, but in the end he sighed and agreed. "Is it really that bad," he asked weakly.

"I wouldn't say anything if it wasn't," I assured him before ending the call and returning to my seat beside Emily. The service was nice, but all too quickly I found myself walking towards the lone stool in the corner with the acoustic guitar. I picked it up and tuned it before starting to strum the song I'd written for Alisha nearly a month ago, only to change a bit of the lyrics the night before.

*_I remember tears streaming down your face  
When I said, "I'll never let you go"  
When all those shadows almost killed your light  
I remember you said, "Don't leave me here alone"  
But all that's dead and gone and passed tonight_

_Just close your eyes  
The sun is going down  
You'll be alright  
No one can hurt you now  
Come morning light  
You and I'll be safe and sound_

_Don't you dare look out your window, darling,  
Everything's on fire  
The war outside our door keeps raging on  
Hold on to this lullaby  
Even when music's gone  
Gone_

_Just close your eyes  
The sun is going down  
You'll be alright  
No one can hurt you now  
Come morning light  
You and I'll be safe and sound_

_Just close your eyes  
You'll be alright  
Come morning light,  
You and I'll be safe and sound..._

The sound of applause shocked me as I stood and reclaimed my seat. Honestly, I thought it was kind of rude to clap at a funeral, but I shrugged it off the best I could and tried to pay attention to the rest of the service. Mrs. Banks –"Call me, Amanda, dear. You've known me long enough." – had insisted that I stand in line with her, her husband, and Hailey to thank the mourners. I shook hands, and was as polite as I could be – though extremely bored. I felt sorry for Emily, who merely stayed in her seat, picking at her fingers and biting her bottom lip. I signaled to her that we'd be leaving in five minutes when a salt-and-peppered hair woman stood in front of me. "And how did you know my niece," she asked softly, her eyes seeming too wise for someone so middle-aged.

"She was my manager," I replied quickly, her green eyes looking me over shrewdly. "Isabella," she asked questioningly, to which I nodded. "Oh dear," she mumbled, seeming to look me over even more carefully than before, "that would explain some things."

"Like what," I questioned, but she only smiled and offered her hand. "Forgive my manners, I'm Blair Livingston. I believe you and I need to talk some time, soon," she pressed before walking away. My eyes followed her as she left, and I swallowed hard and excused myself. "Emily," I asked, " are you ready? I think your plane should be leaving in about an hour. We have time to eat a decent meal before you go if we hurry."

"That would be great," she smiled tentatively. "You know how I feel about airline food."

"I think it's how must people feel about airline food," I teased as we left the funeral home and got into my car. Emily insisted on eating at the Olive Garden, and so I quickly found us a spot to park and we headed inside. One thing I have to say, for such a skinny girl, Emily sure could eat. I think she went through two baskets of breadsticks on her own before her meal even arrived. I made sure to keep the conversation light and teasing, but as we left the restaurant and started towards the airport, the native girl grew serious. "I'll tell them you miss them," she told me. "I'm sure your boys would like to know that you really do think about them."

"I love them," I said in such a way that it sounded as if I were stating a mere fact.

"I know that and you know that, but distance does something to the wolf's mind and they get paranoid," she shrugged. "And where you have so many wolves, I can't help but think it's probably harder for them. They see it as you have more options, and God only knows what Jacob is telling them," she added as an afterthought. I nodded and asked her to tell them I wouldn't be here long, that I had a meeting with a realtor in two days. "That might pacify them a little, to know you're serious about moving to the reservation. Should I ask Seth and Embry how the house hunting is going?"

"If you wouldn't mind, since they can't talk to me right now," I replied, then pulled her into a quick hug and let her board her flight. I sighed as I thought of everything I had left to do. There were boxes to pack, junk to get rid of, a realtor to see, and somewhere along the line I had to speak with Blair Livingston. 'Could it really be the same Blair as from the journal,' my mind pondered. There was only one way to find out.

* * *

*The song is "Safe and Sound" by Taylor Swift ft. the Civil Wars, and is found on the Hunger Games soundtrack.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: This story has been nominated for a Twisted Pretzel award! There are _many_ wonderful authors up this time, so go vote for someone! (Link on profile page.)

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The Call

Chapter Fourteen

One day. That's all it took to box everything up, ship what I wanted to keep to La Push and donate the rest. One day is all it took to clean the Miami mansion from top to bottom and meet with the realtor. One day is all it took to convince the local bank to buy the property off of me (for a fraction of the actually market value) so I wouldn't have to come back when the property sold. Yes, I accomplished all of that in one day. So, why did it take me three days to return to La Push Reservation? Two words: Blair Livingston. The ex-banshee spirited me away to her private estate with promises of educating me about my kind. What I hadn't expected was to find another banshee currently living there as well – her son, Ruben. The house itself was monstrous in size, having at least five floors with a few hundred rooms, and –including the surrounding property – supported an impressive two hundred and fifty acres. Inside, it was like something out of a gothic movie or a museum. Everything seemed dark and oppressive, with hanging chandeliers and electric candles lighting our way. Onward Blair led me into what I assumed was a study of some sort, which was lit only by the fireplace. My dark eyes, still so much like my father's, had lit up in surprise upon seeing him sitting there in an overstuffed chair, eyes glued to the flames as it cast odd shadows along the parts of his perfectly sculpted pale face that weren't obscured by his jaw-length white hair . My mouth opened to inquire about him, just as his dark emerald eyes locked on me and narrowed suspiciously.

"This is my son," Blair had explained quickly, her own eyes – a mirror image of Ruben's in color – gazed at him with adoration. "He is my only child," she continued, "and his current state is why we live so closed off from the rest of the world."

"What she means to say," he cut in, his voice oddly musical and yet cutting at the same time, "is that I'm a freak and she's hidden me away here." Cold eyes took me in, then he turned his head back towards the fire. "Darling," she started, but Ruben released an irritated growl and she fell silent.

"I'm sure that's not how your mother meant to make you feel," I tried. "I can tell she loves you very much, that she worries over you –"

"She shouldn't have to worry," he countered. "I'm a big boy." It was a snarl, but at least he was communicating.

"I know how you feel," I sighed out, remembering the way the Cullens had once treated me. "My first boyfriend and his family literally thought I'd die if I did anything for myself." Ruben cocked his head towards me, but his eyes remained firmly on the fire's dancing flames. "It can be suffocating, that kind of love, until it turns toxic and seems to poison you from the inside out."

"Yes," he replied, his eyes closing. "I feel guilty after all you've done for me, mom, but sometimes I just want to be away from you – from everything."

"I know," Blair whispered softly. "That's why I've brought Bella here. I'll spend the next few days explaining the history of banshees to her, but then, Ruben, I want you to teach her. You'll have to go to Washington with her. Stay at the family cabin between Port Angeles and Forks. How often you train her will be up to you, but I'd think at least three times a week to start."

His eyes had snapped open in surprise as his mother spoke, he licked his lips nervously. "You're letting me go, _alone_?" Blair nodded and he grinned. The elated look slowly fell from his face as his eyes locked with mine again. "It's late," he said, "I'll show you to your room." Ruben stood up quickly, gracefully, and led me through the house silently with lights flicking on and off as needed due to motion detectors. I was almost relieved when he stopped to stand aside and reveal a door to me. "This will be yours for the duration of your stay. My room is four doors down on your left," he informed me, as we both reached for the doorknob at the same time, our hands met and an odd tingling sensation shot up my arm to my elbow. "Oh," I gasped in surprise and Ruben jerked his hand away. His eyes had widened and seemed wilder somehow, his breathing a bit labored, and he stuttered when next he spoke as if he were suddenly nervous or scared. "I-I'll l-leave you t-to it th-then. G'night." His lips pulled upward in an awkward smile before he quickly turned away and disappeared down the hall. I shook my head, attempted to rid the feeling from my mind as I entered the room. The first thing I did was call Emily.

"Bella," she gushed excitedly, and the background noise suddenly ceased – my boys were there, "how are you?"

"In the same condition as when you last saw me," I joked. "And you?"

"Better, thank you," she sighed out happily. "Leah's been allowed to temporarily leave La Push to attend college, so things have been better. Sam is back to being the way he was before. I…missed him, Bella."

"Believe me, I understand," I sighed wistfully. "You forget I have my own La Push men to miss."

"Trust me," she giggled, "they won't let me forget – always whining since I got back. Quil actually stole my funeral dress because he said it smelled like you." I laughed, but she huffed. "Easy for you to laugh, Seth and Embry stole my luggage case!"

"If it makes them feel better I could roll all over their beds when I get back." I heard a few hissed words in the background. "I think they'd like that," Emily clarified with a snicker. "Bella," she started again, but she was cut off by the phone being taken from her.

"Bella," a masculine voice sighed and my breath hitched, "Charlie wanted me to check on you. When are you coming home?"

"Soon," I promised, and Seth's breathing seemed to ease. "I miss you," I told him. "And I've decided something. I love you, Seth, you know that – "He almost purred my name in response. "When I get home… I think we've waited long enough – all of us."

"You mean, Embry and me –"

"Yes," I rushed out, not knowing how many other wolves were at Sam's house.

"When are you coming home," he asked again, sounding almost pained. I licked my lips, recalling what Blair had said. 'A few days' she'd claimed. "Two more days," I answered. "I'll be back soon. How is the search going? Have you and 'Bry found anything yet?"

There was a short argument and then Embry's voice filled the line. "It's a surprise, babe."

"A surprise," I asked dubiously, one of my brows raising even though he couldn't see it. "Well, Emily is acting as my manager now, so she has legal access to some of my funds. Let me know how much is needed and I'll wire it to her expense account."

"Will do," was his reply, followed by a soft curse. "Look, Sam's calling… Er, me and the guys gotta go, babe. See you in a few days."

Emily's laughter – No, that's not right, it was more like cackling – filled the line. She sighed deeply, catching her breath. "Oh, they crack me up! You know the truth, but they don't think you do so they run around in circles trying to keep up pretenses without actually lying."

"Personal, I don't think I have a right to judge. I mean, I am hiding my own dirty little secret after all."

"Speaking of which, are you going to fill them in before or after grown-up bonding time?"

"Emily," I gasped out, my eyes widening comically before slamming shut. "I…," I stammered, swallowing thickly, "I haven't actually decided yet. I figured I'd come clean and jump their bones when I get home, the order of those events isn't currently clear."

"So, basically, you're just going to let things happen," she scoffed. I shrugged off her responds, gave her a few minor appearances to schedule and retired to bed for the night.

The next morning, I awoke early, and quickly hunted Blair down. The way I saw it, the sooner this history lesson was over, the sooner I'd be able to sort out this problem with Jake and the other wolves. Imprint or not, Jacob needed to see he'd acted way beyond the scope of his alpha authority, and that there was never a valid reason to place his own wants above another's pain – especially when they were pack. I wasn't certain what I was going to do to him, but I'd start with not completing our bond for the time being and go from there. The others though… I closed my eyes and groaned. No matter how I looked at it, the simple fact was upon my return to La Push, I was going to have to have sex with three men – one of which I still wasn't certain I wanted a relationship with. Don't get me wrong, I meant every word I said to Seth. He, Embry and I were way over do, but Quil? I shook my head, knowing I couldn't willing let Jake continue to bully him around if I had a way to stop it. Besides, the way Emily explained it, as long as I was on the reservation, after Quil and I bonded, we should be fine, right? God I hoped so. Taking in a deep breath and squaring my shoulders, I returned my focus to the issue at hand – getting Blair's history lesson over with.

* * *

The ride was smooth and quicker than I'd have guess (even in a private jet) we were landing at Seattle's airport. Sam had picked Emily up when she'd landed, so my car was still waiting for Ruben and I in long term parking. I'd agreed to drive him to his family's cabin, arguing that I'd need to know where it was anyway since I was going to be doing my training there. He'd hesitantly agreed.

Since the incident the night I arrived, my soon to be teacher had avoided me at every turn possible. He was visibly tense when in the same room with me, giving grunts and nods as replies – or if forced to speak, as few words as possible. I frowned, wondering exactly how our relationship was going to work. Would it even be beneficial to anyone involved? Forcing down my frustration as best as possible, I turned down the barely visible drive that led to Ruben's destination.

"The trees and foliage have really gone wild," he mumbled to himself, and I couldn't help but relax and smile from the sheer awe in his voice.

"How long as it been?"

He shrugged, "I guess thirteen years or so."

I laughed and his eyes widened at the sound before he too joined in with a soft chuckle. "When it rains as much as it does here," I explained, "plants tend to go crazy pretty quick."

"But it's good," he countered. "It makes it nearly impossible for a banshee's eyesight to see the road up here, forget about humans."

"That's true," I agreed, parking the car but leaving the engine on, "as long as being alone doesn't bother you."

Ruben's eyes narrowed as he glared at me, his hand tightening on the passenger door handle. "Why would it," he spat out almost challengingly.

"No one wants to be alone all the time," I whispered cautiously. His eyes softened as he looked me over. "I won't be," was he soft reply, his door opened and shut before I could respond. Swallowing nervously, and mentally wondering what I'd gotten myself into, I turned around and headed for La Push.

* * *

The moment I stepped foot into Sue's house, I could sense him upstairs. I followed the pull of my heart to my bedroom, where I found him sleeping soundly on my bed. My heart was pounding, heat was coursing through me. I hadn't lied when I told him we'd all waited long enough. My body seemed to stalk towards him, as if he were my prey – and I suppose in a way he was. Licking my lips, I stripped off my clothes and stepped out of my shoes and crawled up the bed until I hovered above him. "Seth," I whispered, my head dipping down to rub against his cheek like a cat in heat as I breathed him in. "Seth, wake up."

His eyes fluttered open, his nostrils flaring as he took in the scent of my desire. "Fuck," he cursed softly, his body thrusting upwards in responds to my nearness, the only thing separating him from me was his tan cutoffs. I kissed him, harshly, demandingly, and he groaned into it, his hands reaching out for me longingly. "You're really here," he sighed out when our mouth finally separated so that we could fill our lungs. "I've dreamed of this, but…" Seth bit his lip as his brows furrowed. "Embry… he won't be here 'til later."

"He can catch up when he gets here," I replied, my voice deep with lust, "we've waited too long already." Seth hissed out something unintelligible as one of my hands trailed down his body, and undid his pants. Not even having the patients required to fully remove the article of clothing, I lifted myself up enough to position his throbbing cock at my entrance. A stifled moan left my lips the second his bulbous mushroom head slipped past my lower lips. Still, I continued to lower myself until he was fully sheathed inside me. Again, Seth let out a low curse. "So fucking good," he growled, his eyes flashing between dark brown to an unsettling gold, while his hands reached down and gripped my hips possessively.

We began to move together in harmony – push and pull, give and take. His hands controlled my movements, dominated me in every way possible as his cock thrust upwards into me. My breasts shook with the force of his movements, my head tilted to one side and fully exposed part of my neck to him. I moaned his name and he growled, his eyes burning a bright gold when they landed on the exposed flesh by my collarbone. "Do what you need to do," I whispered to him, giving myself over to him completely as Seth set up enough for his mouth to reach the apex between my neck and shoulder. Just as a new heat was building within me, threatening to explode and fill my whole body, Seth lunged forward slightly and with sharper than normal teeth, he bit in my flesh as his body stiffened and his come coated my vaginal walls. "Mine," he growled, then gave a few tentative licks to the mark he'd just place on me. His eyes slowly faded back to his natural brownish-black color, his breath as labored as mine as he grinned at me. One calloused, warm hand reached up to cup my face, only to pull me towards him and kiss me softly.

And we began again, slower this time, but just as passionate. This time our hands were more exploratory, memorizing the contours of the others flesh along their journey. He nipped teasingly along my bottom lip before sucking it into his mouth. Large, hot finger trailed down my back to my bottom, and squeezed it tightly. "Seth," I moaned, feeling his manhood hardening inside my channel once more, and feeling helpless to do anything but grind against him. He hissed and cursed, his hands parting the globes of my ass to slip on of this thick fingers into my anal opening. My eyes snapped opened in surprise, but soon I was moaning louder and rocking faster against both his cock and his finger. With a snarl, he pulled his hands way was my backside entirely and gripped my hips once more. "Easy, mate," a grave-like voice spoke from behind as another pair of hot hands covered my breasts and squeezed them firmly. Embry lowered his head, his nose inhaling deeply at Seth's bite mark before snaking his tongue out and lapping at it. "Are you ready for me," he growled out, "for us?"

"Embry," I nearly begged, the crown of his member poking insistently, teasingly, against my back opening. With a deep growl, he slammed into me, and I cried out at the intense feeling of being completely full for the first time. Embry and Seth both began to move within me, pounding relentlessly until I was nearly delirious with desire. We all climaxed together, their thick seed coating my insides, as Embry's teeth sunk into Seth's bite mark, injecting his saliva into it as well. We collapsed against each other, though Embry was quick to spin away, pulling his now flaccid cock from my opening as he laid down to the left of Seth and I.

Seth shifted to his side, so that I was cocooned between my two wolves, their body heat keeping me warm. Even as our breath evened out, our hands and bodies occasionally touching one anothers, I could feel our bond – our imprint – strengthening until it seemed as if we all three shared one heart. A question raised within my heart as I drifted off to sleep, did I really want to have this type of connection with Quil?


End file.
